Taming A Wild Life
by Sodapops
Summary: Naruto is an adventurer that wishes to make a name for himself and put his past behind him. On one of his exploration trips he was attacked by wild animals but was saved by another man. The catch? His savior acts like a wild animal himself. AU KibaNaru
1. A Change of Direction

**A/N:** _So a plot bunny ran me over the other day so I'm finally starting to write again. This is another KibaNaru but this time around it's set on an Alternate Universe. The start is sorta cliché (Something I hate) but it had to be done! After all, my goal is to make KibaNaru plot lines that differ from the rest._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. That fact probably won't change even if I win the lottery a dozen of times in a row.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Change of Direction**

Naruto Uzumaki was a nineteen year old up and coming adventurer in training "college level" and one of his requirements involved an expedition into the inhabitable Forest of Death. There was already a marked path for travelers to go through but after days of the same old thing Naruto felt a little more adventurous and went off route to do a little exploring of his own.

His lack of sense for conformity was rewarded when he found a snake that was supposed to be extinct and managed to trap it. _'A chance to appear on the news!'_ he thought. But unfortunately his decision came with a cost. You see Naruto never had the best sense of direction so he got disoriented as he tried to get back on route and got inevitably lost.

'_Crap'_ he inwardly cursed half an hour later as he kept mindlessly walking around. _'Feels like I've been walking in circles. At least send some excitement my way'_

Luckily or in this case unluckily for Naruto, he got to find out the hard way why the proverb of _**be careful what you wish for**_ was invented as he suddenly found himself being chased around by a pack of overgrown wolves.

"What the heck?" he shouted to himself. "This place has every dangerous animal known to man living in one place!"

In his rush to get away Naruto tripped but managed to stay on his feet. Unfortunately in that momentary lost of balance he dropped the cage and the snake he caught got away. _'Shit, there goes my discovery.'_

Yet it didn't take much longer for one of the wolves to launch itself at the blonde's back and cause him to tumble down. Fortunately for our hero the unexpected happened when a brown haired male wearing nothing but some short knee-high pants jumped into the fray and wrestled the wolf off of him.

Naruto watched in amazement as his savior fiercely took on the other wolves until they retreated with some even limping.

"Wow that was amazing!" exclaimed Naruto as he got up and dusted himself. He approached the brunet wanting to thank him but got frighten when the stranger turned and growled at him as he gave Naruto an intimidating glare with his uncommonly slit eyes. The blond also couldn't help but noticed the red fangs tattooed to the other male's face.

Just as the brunet looked like he was ready to pounce he suddenly let out a pained whimper when the snake from before bit him on his right leg. The tattooed guy grabbed a rock and smashed it on the snake's head effectively killing it. _'Oh well, there goes my ticket to fame'_ thought the blond.

Naruto seeing that the other man was wounded with a big gash of blood staining his leg took his first-aid-kit out of his backpack. Completely overlooking the fact that the brunet was ready to jump him a minute ago, the blond tried to help the other male who was sitting with his back against a tree trying to steady his breathing pattern.

Yet the boy with red fangs tattoos on his face kept stubbornly refusing to let the blond get close to him and kept swiping Naruto's hand away with his clawed hands. No kidding, the guy needed a nail-clipper.

The blue-eyed blond quickly lost his temper as the other kept refusing his help so he smacked him in the head making the brunet whimper and rub his head.

"Will you sit still already? I'm trying to help you damn it!" yelled Naruto. The brunet kept making whining noises but otherwise kept himself perfectly still.

Naruto, now able to help, grabbed the brunet's leg and started to clean it up. Although the tattooed male didn't move a muscle he kept growling in his throat at the blond. Naruto knew that the snake wasn't poisonous but he still had to keep the wound from getting infected.

"Okay" he said as he reached for a small bottle in his aid-kit. "I don't know if you can understand me or not but this is going to sting a little. Believe it."

The brunet yelped and pulled his leg away when Naruto applied the medicine on his wound and then growled loudly as he made an attempt to slash blonde's face. On reflex Naruto slapped the hand away and pulled the brunets leg back to him again.

"I said heel! Now stop being such a big baby and let me finish." commanded Naruto. Noticing the glare he was receiving from the brunet he added. "Sorry but I already had someone scar my face and I'm not particularly fond of letting it happen again." He explained referring to the three symmetrical scars on each side of his face. But that was a story for another day.

Naruto let a satisfied grin adorn his features as he wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand after patching the brunet up. Said other looked questioningly at his bandaged leg while the blond busied himself by putting everything back in his bag.

"So, do you have a name?" asked the blue-eyed male but got no answer. "No? Then I'll just call you Fang then. Live around here?" still no answer. "Can you at least tell me how to get out of here?"

Fang, as the blond dubbed him since he didn't know the brunet's name, just tilted his head in confusion and kept examining his leg. "Ugh, guess I'll get going then."

When Naruto turned his back on Fang he was immediately pounced on by the brunet. Naruto turned around to yell at him but Fang bit his sleeve and began pulling. When the blond swatted his arm away Fang scurried a few feet away from Naruto before turning around to watch the whiskered male intently.

The blond stood up while muttering a few choice curses under his breath. He spared a glare at Fang's direction and was about to turn away again but stopped as the brunet started growling at him.

"What's your problem now?" questioned Naruto getting agitated with the situation. Fang proceeded to move another few steps away before turning to look at the blond again.

"Heh?" he said while scratching the back of his head. "Oh, do you want me to follow you?" he asked. When the brunet just kept staring at him Naruto realized. "Right, I forgot that you can't understand a word I say."

Naruto shrugged because he had nothing to lose and moved toward Fang. The brunet seemingly satisfied with the turn of events began walking ahead on all fours like a dog but turned his head ever so often to make sure that Naruto was still following.

The blond on the other hand couldn't stop chuckling at the sight before him. Here he was trailing to the middle of nowhere after a fully grown man that acted like an animal. He brunet had the ability to stand on his legs yet not at full height since he always kept his legs bended but he still chose to run around on all fours.

'_He looks just a little older than me actually. I wonder what happened to him.'_

They arrived at a very rundown looking old wooden shack and Naruto asked Fang if he lived there. Unsurprisingly by now the brunet didn't answer and just led the way inside.

The placed was small; in fact it was even smaller than Naruto's bedroom. Part of the roof was missing and replaced with a lot of leaves and old… clothes? The walls were full with moss, the bark didn't looked steady and there were vines coming out from everywhere. _'This looks unsanitary'_

The only thing inside were a bed made of even more leaves and three empty suitcases. Two of them being adult sizes and one being small enough for a child. Of the two bigger ones, one was obviously of a female. But all three of them seemed like they'd seen better days.

Turning to face Fang the blond questioned "How long have you been living here? No better yet, what happened to you?"

The brunet, not being able of answering, crawled to the smallest suitcase and hugged it to his chest.

"That's yours isn't it? Then that means the other ones are from your parents. Where are they?" Naruto asked again facing the brunet but Fang just kept his gaze down while hugging his case. It was then that the blond realized he asked a stupid question. "Sorry"

'_Obviously they're dead or else you wouldn't be here. And by the looks of it you've been here for a long time. How did you survive?'_

Naruto wanted to ask more but became aware that Fang had already fallen asleep. He wondered what he was supposed to do now. The blond knew he couldn't leave the brunet here. That much was evident. The place looked like it could come down on him any minute now for God's sake! He also had to work fast since the plane that comes to take him back to Konoha was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

He figured he'll just have to tell the local authorities about Fang and let them handle it. With that in mind he left to find his way back to the hotel but not before draping his orange jacket around Fang's sleeping form to keep him warm.

It took the blond more time than he expected to find the path out of the forest. It was already dark and mostly everyone closed their businesses. Feeling understandably tired, Naruto decided to call it a night and went back to his hotel room. He would deal with the authorities tomorrow morning.

After taking a much needed bath and eating a bowl of instant ramen he turned off the lights, closed his blue eyes and went to sleep without much effort. Unfortunately just because he was able to fall to sleep without much trouble didn't mean that his dreams weren't indeed troubled.

_Two 6 year old kids were playing together in a sandbox while other little kids were running around laughing and playing a game of tag. One of the kids in the sandbox was a blond boy with naturedly tan skin. The other boy in the box had raven black hair and onyx eyes to match it._

_Then all of the sudden the sound stopped. The blond one looked around in alarm and saw that everyone had disappeared and the park was desolated. A little scared by the situation he turned to his friend to ask him if he knew what was going on but his voice died in his throat at the sight._

_All he could do was watch how his friend started changing into a monster with wings on its back, longer hair and red eyes. The blond couldn't even scream as the creature launched itself at him._

Naruto abruptly sat up on his bed with one hand on his heart and the other subconsciously tracing the whiskered scars on his cheek. _'Breathe, Breathe, Breathe. I need to calm down. It was all a dream, nothing more.'_

He yelped when he heard the sound of roaring thunder. _'Is it raining?'_ Another lightning bolt came down as to answer his unspoken question. _'Guess that's a yes. Sounds like a thunderstorm. I sure wouldn't want to be caught out there in this bad weather.'_

The blond picked up his wristwatch from the nightstand and sighed when he saw it was only 2 o'clock in the morning. _'It's still too early to wake up but I doubt I'll be able to go back to sleep with this storm raging on.'_

"Hmm, I wonder if Fang is having the same trouble sleeping as I am." He pondered aloud. He stared lazily at the ceiling for some time until something clicked in his mind. "Shit, Fang! He's still out there!"

With renewed energy because of his sudden adrenaline rush, Naruto jumped out of bed and didn't think twice about getting dressed, putting on a raincoat, grabbing a flashlight and a machete for protection before running out to find the brunet with the red tattoos.

Luckily he marked the trees on his way out of Fang's place so finding his way back to it would be easier. When the blond eventually got there exhausted because he ran all the way he saw that the shack had indeed collapsed to the ground like he knew it would under the pressure of the rain.

He began to look around anxiously for signs of the brunet hoping against all odds that the roof hadn't fallen on him while he was still inside.

Naruto thanked the Lord when he spotted Fang shivering under a tree clutching tight to Naruto's coat as his only form of defense against the cold.

Slightly relieved to see that the brunet was unharmed Naruto made his way to Fang and tried to get him to stand up and follow him back. Yet the male with slit eyes adamantly refused to move from his spot and began growling when the blond became more forceful.

Dropping his shoulders in defeat Naruto decided to sit down next to the uncooperative brunet. He opened his umbrella and placed it above their heads to cover them from the cold rain. He also placed an arm over Fang's trembling shoulders and pulled the brunet to him.

Fang, who was reluctant to have Naruto close to him, wanted to pull away from the embrace but didn't when he felt the blonde's body heat. Instincts told him to stay close to that warmth if he wanted to survived so he circled his arms around Naruto's torso and hugged the blonde's body closer to him as he laid his head on Naruto's chest.

The whiskered male felt a little awkward with Fang's sudden action but he remained perfectly still. As he continued to hold the brunet close to him he started to reminisce on his own life.

Just like Fang, Naruto was also an orphan that was left to fend for himself so he could relate to the brunet in a certain way. He knew how it felt like to grow up without parents and how unforgiving the real world could really be.

The blond knew he wouldn't have been able to survive those hardships without the help of his friends and couldn't keep himself from sympathizing with Fang's predicament because he knew that the brunet probably had no one that cared for him.

With that in mind the blonde's conviction was fueled. "Screw the local authorities; you're going home with me. I'll look after you. That's a promise."

Yep, Naruto was determined to be Fang's friend. It was time for the blond to give back to the world and he always kept his promises. Believe it!

* * *

**A/N:** _So that's the first chapter! Before you ask, yes, Fang is Kiba. Naruto just doesn't know his name yet but it will be revealed in the near future. But for now it's Fang. I want to bring new KibaNaru ideas to the table so I hope this plot haven't been used before for this fandom. If so please let me know ^_^_


	2. The FixUp

**A/N:** _I'm stoked with the quick response this fic got on the first chapter! So thank you! Here's my weekly update! Hope you enjoy!_

**Disclaimer:**They wouldn't let me near the rights with a ten foot pole so I still don't own Naruto.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Fix-Up**

Sakura Haruno was a nineteen year old who interned at Konoha's Hospital as a medical apprentice. She had an average slim figure with an average face yet because of her creamy soft skin, sparkling green eyes and outstanding pink hair she looked everything but average.

In fact if you asked her on a date she would probably reject you because she was that much out of your league. Furthermore besides her looks she had brains and a great ability to memorize things. She didn't need anyone looking after her because she was her own independent woman even though she lived in a two-bedroom apartment with her best friend Ino Yamanaka. But that's a story for another day.

The point was that she liked to be in control. That's why she almost had a panic attack when she was greeted by a savage looking stranger pouncing on her the moment she opened the front door of Naruto's apartment.

You see, unlike her, Sakura knew that Naruto wasn't cut out to take care of himself. They were childhood friends and now lived in the same neighborhood. They were just a couple buildings away from each other so the pinkette took it upon herself to casually visit her friend every other day of the week.

She made sure that Naruto was eating right, that he cleaned the house, bought the groceries and did his laundry. She swore that without her his place would be a biohazard. That's why only she had a spare key to his apartment.

Last night she heard that Naruto returned from his little trip and so the morning after Sakura thought that she might as well go check up on him. That precise decision was what led her into this predicament. With her laying on the floor and a wild looking fellow who badly needed a bath, from what she could tell at first glance, on top of her sniffing her hair.

'_What the hell? What the hell?? What the hell???'_ she screamed repeatedly in her head since her voice was caught up in her throat. Thankfully this didn't last long as Naruto finally came into the picture and removed the beast that laid on top of her.

"Sorry about that Sakura. I wasn't expecting you." said the blond apologetically while he kept trying to restrain Fang from trampling over the female again.

Naruto, who was standing behind the brunet, had his arms under Fang's armpits and his hands were locked together behind the brunet's scalp keeping Fang in an effective hold.

Sakura, who was still on the floor, propelled herself up with her forearms and gazed at the sight before her with an irked expression on her face. There were so many things wrong with this picture that she didn't know where to start so she settled for pointing at Fang and asking/demanding the ever casual "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

After letting Sakura calm herself down and offering her a glass of water, Naruto started recollecting his tale to her. The pinkette went from agitated, to understanding yet ended up by looking at Naruto like if he was crazy.

"And you brought him here with you?! What idiotic reason made you think that it was a good idea? Tell me 'cause I sure as hell like to know what runs through that empty space where your brain's suppose to be!"

"But Sakura what else was I suppose to do?" complained the blonde pleadingly.

"You should have let the locals deal with it for one!"

Naruto was about to voice another petty excuse but Sakura raised her hand up and shook her head nonverbally telling him that she didn't want to hear it.

She then sighed in defeat because she knew that no matter how good of an argument she made it would not deter Naruto from his decision in the slightest. The blond was stubborn like that.

With that in mind her emerald eyes darted from Naruto's blue ones to fix themselves on the homeless refugee's dark ones. He had long brown hair that trailed all the way down to his midsection. It was noticeably dirty and greasy and Sakura thought that it looked more like a bird nest gone wrong than actual hair.

Surprisingly Sakura found that the messy brunet didn't have much facial hair as she couldn't stop staring at the tattoos on his face. _'Must a family trademark or something; it might help me find a clue of who he is.'_

By studying the rest of his body and his terrible hygiene the pinkette deducted that she had no choice but to intervene. If Naruto was that hell-bent on keeping the beast man then she might as well help keep the damage at a minimum.

So with resignation she fell back into doing what she does best, which was ordering her blond idiot around.

"Alright Naruto I'm going to need scissors, nail-clippers, a whole bottle of body-wash, a bucket, a sponge, a hairbrush, a set of gloves because I don't want to touch anything, towels, spare clothing and a toothbrush!"

Naruto in return just stood there like an idiot scratching his head puzzled by Sakura's random demands. This only made an anger mark appear on the pinkette's um… well formed forehead.

"What? Is there something on my face? Get that stupid look off your face and do as I say already! Or do you want to bathe him yourself?!"

That last comment got a reaction from the blond as he retaliated with his eyes tightly closed from embarrassment and a profound blush on his whiskered cheeks.

"Of c-course not! I-I-I"

Sakura cut him off. "Then go already! I don't have all day you know."

As Naruto hurriedly rushed off to find the things she requested Sakura turned her attention to Fang who was growling at her because he didn't like how she treated Naruto.

"What? I've been in his life way longer than you have mister. You better not be giving me any attitude about it or I'll scrub you until your skin peels off."

Fang took her stance as a challenge and got on all fours leaning backwards ready to pounce on her but got distracted when Naruto hastily came in holding a bucket filled with everything Sakura asked for.

The girl took this as her cue to grab a fistful of Fang's hair and unceremoniously drag him to the bathroom. The brunet made growling and whining noises while he was being pulled by the hair but Sakura's grip was unrelenting. Naruto followed after them as he wondered if letting the female do this was a bad idea after all.

Once in the bathroom Sakura took the bucket from Naruto's hands, turned him around, pushed him out of the room and locked the door behind him telling the blond that he wasn't needed anymore.

Naruto shrugged and made his way to the couch to watch some television. Minutes passed and all he heard was Fang's constant growls and Sakura's incessant yelling and scolding.

The blond began to wonder if leaving the pinkette alone with the brunet was a good idea at all. Yeah he knew that Sakura was tough and could hold her own but she was still just a girl while Fang was an unpredictable stranger that acted like an animal and could wrestle packs of wolves by himself.

Becoming increasingly more worried as the seconds ticked by, Naruto leaned forward and glanced at the bathroom door. _'Maybe I should go in and check if everything is under control?'_

But just as he was lifting himself up he heard the sound of something being smacked followed by Fang's pained whimpers. This made Naruto chuckle as he dropped his weight back on the couch reassured. _'Nah, Sakura can handle it.'_

About an hour later Naruto stood up from his position when he heard a door being unlocked. Out of it came Fang looking scared as he hurriedly crawled behind Naruto's figure. Perplexed by this, the blond raised a questioning eyebrow at Sakura and asked her what she did.

"Nothing that didn't need to be done." replied the girl as she stood with one hand on her hip and moved her bangs out of her face with the other. Fang started growling at her from behind Naruto while sending her a glare.

Sakura returned the glare with equal fervor. "The little rascal tried to bite me so I gave him a knuckle sandwich to chew on." She emphasized it by bringing her fist up to his direction making Fang yelp as he hid even more of himself behind Naruto's body.

Satisfied with the reaction she got she fixed her eyes back on the blond again. "It took a lot of work but I think he's in pristine condition, or at least as good as he's going to get for now. Apparently he feels asphyxiated if he has too much on so try to keep his clothing as light and loose as possible or he'll take it off. And yes, sadly that means no underwear for the time being."

Naruto glance behind him as the pinkette continued her analysis and saw that Fang was indeed only wearing a loose white t-shirt and some basketball shorts. He also noticed the drastic change in hair length Sakura gave the brunet.

"Hey, you gave him a similar haircut to mine!" exclaimed the blond.

"Well of course I did you idiot! I'm not a hairstylist and you're the only one who ever asks me to cut their hair you cheapskate so of course it looks similar!" she retorted.

"Aww but Sakura you know I need to save money to pay rent." he responded with a happy grin on his face as he scratched the back of his head. "Besides, I like the way you cut my hair."

Sakura blushed at the comment but turned around to not let it show. "Anyways as I was saying before you interrupted me. I checked his mouth and amazingly he got pretty strong teeth and healthy gums. His fangs are no laughing matter either. His family must have had exceptionally good genes in the dental department. I took a blood and urine sample so I'll comeback later with the results."

'_Blood?'_ The blond winced at the mention of that since he knew Sakura probably didn't use a needle to draw it out. He subconsciously started to pad Fang in the head and the brunet pressed his face closer against Naruto's legs for security. _'I don't even want to know what she did to you.'_

"So" said Sakura as she twirled around to face Naruto again. "Anything else you like to share with me about your friend over there?"

"Um… not much really. From what little I've seen he is potty-trained so he must not have been any younger than 2 or 3 years old before he was left to fend for himself in the forest."

"Hmm, I'll take it into consideration when I search the databanks to see if I can find any information about any events that happened in the Forest of Death 15 to 20 years ago that might be related to him. Anyways I have to go now before I'm late for work. Take care until I'm back and whatever you do don't let him out of the house, understand?"

After Naruto nodded Sakura waved good bye and led herself out of the apartment. Sighing he turned around and asked the brunet what he wanted to do now. As if on cue both of their stomach roared in hunger. "Heheh, well buddy it sounds like it's time to eat!"

The blond went into the kitchen, with Fang following after him, to make his specialty. Ramen. Three minutes later he placed two bowls on the table and motioned for the brunet to sit up and eat. The tattooed male did as ordered but not knowing any better he tried to eat it with his hands and got immediately burned by the broth.

Naruto chuckled at Fang's expense as the brunet put part of his hand in his mouth to try to soothe the burn. The blond then took the chopsticks and tried to explain to Fang how to use them by setting an example but to no avail.

He tried not to laugh as the brunet kept helplessly trying to figure out how to hold the chopsticks in place enough for him to eat. The blue eyed male took this opportunity to take in the work Sakura did on the brunet.

He had to admit that she did a really decent job making Fang look more presentable. Naruto thought before that the brunet was a few years older but now that he'd been cleaned up the blond deduced that they actually seemed to be the same age.

Without all that hair, grease and mud in the way a red tint began to appear on Naruto's face as he finally took noticed of how attractive the other boy really was. He had tan skin, athletic built and a pair of very captivating feral looking eyes. _'I got to remember Sakura's advice and keep him wearing loose shirts and stretch-pants or he'll go naked on me.'_

Naruto had to literally slap himself on the face to keep his mind from going further and picturing Fang in his birthday suit. _'What the heck's wrong with me?'_ The blond looked at the brunet and found him staring back with a confused look on his face. _'Great, now he probably thinks I'm crazy too.'_

Noticing that the brunet still hadn't touched his food and that the chopsticks were broken into pieces Naruto stood up and fetched for something less challenging. He gave Fang a fork which apparently was something the brunet had seen before because he instantly stabbed the noodles without Naruto having to show him how.

He wasn't holding the fork right and was making quite a mess on the table but at least he was eating the meal Naruto prepared like it was the best thing in the world and that was enough to make the blond happy. Still Naruto couldn't help to wonder yet again how was it that the brunet managed to survive all this time on his own.

After finishing their dishes and spending the rest of the day with Naruto trying and failing to communicate with Fang, the blond felt like it was time for bed. So after turning his couch into a bed for Fang to sleep in, Naruto went to his own bed and immediately dozed off when his head hit the pillow.

Unknown to the blond, Fang got up from his makeshift bed and padded his way to Naruto's room dragging the bed sheets with him. After staring at the blond for a minute or two to make sure that he was snoozing, the brunet laid himself down in a comfortable position besides Naruto's bed. The brunet fell asleep almost instantly now that he could feel the other man's presence near him.

* * *

**A/N:** _Well that's it for now. I finally got them settled in. Now let the magic begin! I hope Sakura's introduction as the supporting role came out strong enough. I like her because she has no qualms about beating the guys up. Don't worry, she has a softer side. She'll be the main supporting character even though we probably won't see much of her since this is of course all about the KibaNaru. And believe me, there's lot of development that needs to be done before I can pair them up ^^_


	3. Guilt Trips

**A/N:** _Yeah, so one reviewer said I was rushing things with the KibaNaru relationship. That just made me laughed because there is still no relationship! And there isn't going to be one for quite some time. Just because you find someone attractive doesn't mean you want to pursue a relationship with them. I hardly can picture anyone who would want to date an animal. Naruto sort of sees Kiba like a pet for now and Kiba doesn't know any better yet. When Kiba starts acting more like a human then we'll talk. Heck, we don't even know his name yet!_

**2****nd**** A/N:** _Did you all see the latest Naruto Manga Chapter? I was like DAMN!!! I'm so going to write a NaruHina after I'm finished with this fic._

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but a laptop, some DVDs, the clothes on my back and a pretty wacked sense of humor. Notice how I didn't mention Naruto or any of its characters.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Guilt-Tripped**

Naruto was never much of a morning person and when he woke up he had mostly forgotten what happened in the last couple of days. That's why when he moved his legs out of the bed to stand up he couldn't immediately tell where the mass impending his feet from touching the ground came from.

Instead he just quizzically stared at the brown shag of hair below him. It wasn't until the owner of said hair started to stir awake that Naruto's brain began to function and then it clicked.

"Fang! What the heck? Why are you on my floor?"

The addressed brunet, who was completely awake after hearing the blonde's demanding tone, only rubbed himself behind his shoulder before leaving the room without sparing even a glance at the whiskered male's way.

'_Will I ever get him to talk to me?' _Naruto asked himself.

After getting up and preparing scrambled eggs for breakfast and making sure Fang brushed his teeth like he was supposed to, Naruto left the tattooed male alone in the apartment after telling him to behave and promising to comeback soon.

Naruto went to the gym for his morning workout. It was something he did 2 to 3 times a week because he wanted to stay in shape. Scratch that, he _**needed**_ to stay in shape. It gave him a sense of security and calmed his inner turmoil.

You see Naruto hasn't always been like this. He always had been about being outdoors and spontaneity. Falling into a routine was the last thing you would see the blond doing. Plus he used to be too hyperactive to stay put in a gym anyways.

To Naruto, that was his downfall. _'If only I was stronger back then, if only I wasn't so weak then maybe I would have been able to put up a fight'_ were the thoughts that constantly plagued the blond at night.

There was a time when everything came crashing down around him and he couldn't do anything to stop its outcome. The scars on his face served as a constant reminder of his inability to act and defend himself.

The blond swore that nothing similar would happen to him ever again. The past would not repeat itself, not if he had something to say about it. With that in mind Naruto finished his bench presses and moved to the treadmills. He'd been here exercising for two hours straight and all he need was to do a little cardio before calling it a day.

As he got onto one of the machines and started his 20 minute jog, his thoughts traveled to his new roommate and his mood instantaneously brightened in mischief. The blond couldn't help but notice how physically fit Fang was. The brunet wasn't at all intimidatingly big like those bodybuilders on TV or magazines; but he did have a pretty athletic figure.

Naruto didn't doubt that Fang would have been taller if he had the proper nutrition. Yet the blond was secretly okay with that because the brunet was already about two inches taller than Naruto on the rare occasions he stood up straight.

Overall the blond was perfectly satisfied with the fact that Fang wasn't an over-muscled meathead and was instead closer to Naruto's size because this meant that the blue-eyed male could take him on in equal ground if he ever needed too. Who knows, maybe the brunet could even become his new gym buddy. _'Things sure became quiet here ever since Lee got himself a personal coach to train for the Olympics.'_

After finishing his workout and toweling the sweat up he left to make a quick stop at the bakery for some refreshments before heading home.

He was surprised when he saw two of his friends exiting the store together. It had been quite a while since he last seen them so he excitedly called out to them.

"Hey Gaara! Hi Hinata!" hollered the blond while he got within talking distance. "Wow funny that I see you together! I didn't know that you two knew each other."

Gaara and Hinata exchanged glances with one another before staring back at Naruto as Hinata timidly explained. "Um Naruto, I-I never met him before."

"Really?" Naruto asked looking confused. "But I just thought that since I saw you walking out at the same time-"

"You assumed wrong." Gaara cut in with his normal calm yet seemingly uncaring voice.

"Oh…" said the blond nervously scratching the back of his head after realizing his mistake. A moment of silence passed between the three before Naruto decided to laugh the awkwardness away. "Hahaha, didn't I say that it was funny? Anyways… oh, introduction time!"

Naruto stood beside the female and cheerfully announced "Hinata, that's my friend Gaara no Sabaku. Like me he wants to be an explorer too and we even betted on who will become recognized first."

The blond then leaned closer to Hinata to whisper in her ear. "And that's going to be me, believe it!" he said adding a complementary wink at the end of his statement which made Hinata blush profusely.

"And Gaara, this is my friend Hinata Hyuuga." said the blond placing a hand on her shoulder. "Even though we known each other for a long time we didn't really start talking until a couple of months ago because she was always kinda weird around me."

"N-Naruto!" reprimanded the girl shoving him away lightly as she turned even redder from embarrassment. She hesitantly turned to Gaara and bowed her head slightly. "Nice to meet you Gaara." The redhead responded by nodding once to her direction in acknowledgment.

"Naruto I'm glad to see you came back safely from your trip." said Hinata looking downwards and tapping her index fingers together. While she spoke her voice got progressively lower until the last word came barely above whisper.

"Huh? What was that?" asked the blonde leaning down closer to her face. "You're gonna have to speak louder if you want me to hear."

Consequently Hinata turned her face away from him as another immense blush colored her face. Gaara, unlike Naruto, picked up on what the girl said and decided to prod the subject.

"So how did your explorations in the Forest of Death go?"

"It was great!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly. "I mean at first it was boring because I had to go to all these places marked on the map but on the day six I decided to go to the uncharted areas and found and caught this snake that was supposed to be extinct!"

The blond enthusiastically retold his tale totally leaving out the part about Fang since he didn't want anyone knowing about it yet. He silently congratulated himself on his thoughtfulness.

"That's incredible Naruto" praised Hinata genuinely impressed with the blond.

"Yeah I know" replied Naruto with equal excitement.

Gaara nodded in agreement. "So what did you do with the snake?"

The whiskered male let out a heavy sighed before answering. "Nothing, it bit Fang in the leg after he rescued me and he killed it."

Both Hinata and Gaara looked at each other before facing back to Naruto and questioning at the same time. "Fang?"

"Crap!" Naruto covered his mouth with his hands when he realized his mistake. _'Damn, I let it slipped.'_

If he had any, the redhead would have raised an eyebrow at Naruto's reaction. As this wasn't the case he settled for making a comment. "I'm guessing we weren't supposed to hear that."

"Is there something you're not telling us N-Naruto?" voiced Hinata shyly adding an accusatory factor to Gaara's observation.

"No I um- What I meant err- Of course not!" swore Naruto exaggeratedly loud after stammering in the beginning. "What makes you think that?" he then asked laughing nervously, toeing his left shoe, avoiding eye contact and doing everything else you could think of that basically screamed guilty.

"You're lying" stated the redhead calmly clearly unconvinced while keeping his gaze steady on Naruto.

"Am not!" retorted the blond.

"Is okay if you don't want to tell us" said Hinata to which Gaara so eloquently added "Even though you should be more trusting of your friends."

That last comment killed the argument Naruto had prepared when he remembered that it was him whom taught Gaara that.

Prompted by the blonde's silence Hinata continued the word exchange. "I can respect if you don't want to tell me Naruto…" The blond turned his attention toward the female to thank her for her understanding but she quickly faced away from him and added with a sniffle. "…even if it h-hurts that you can't t-trust me."

'_Whaaa?'_ Naruto gaped at her as she continued to tap her fingers keeping her head down with her bangs covering her pale eyes. _'Is she guilt-tripping me?'_

Gaara then finally looked away from the blond and delivered the final blow. "I guess we aren't as good of friends as I thought. My mistake."

When Hinata and Gaara both turned to go their separate ways without so much as a goodbye, Naruto caved in. "WAIT!" he shouted making the other two stop their movements. "Okay already, I'll spill."

Naruto noticed the smiles on their faces as they turned around to him again and scowled. _'Bastards, they were guilt-tripping me!'_

The group of three sat together at an outdoors Café and Naruto began explaining to them with details everything that happened on his trip. Hinata paid close attention to his every word and frequently asked questions of her own. Gaara on the other hand was completely bored after finding that he couldn't care less about some random vagabond Naruto found.

The redhead was impatiently waiting for the whiskered male to finish his tale so he could leave. Of course no one noticed this because Gaara kept his cool and collected expression on. Crossing his arms the redhead began listing in his head all the things he rather be doing until his thought process drastically stopped when Naruto mentioned his decision to keep Fang.

"What do you mean he is living with you?" the redhead calmly asked uncaringly interrupting Naruto mid-speech.

"Huh?" questioned the blond momentarily surprised that Gaara spoke up. "Something wrong with Fang staying with me?"

Gaara stared at Naruto like if he had asked the stupidest question ever. There were a dozen of ways to answer that question that implied how retarded Gaara thought Naruto's decision was. But like Sakura before him, Gaara also learned just how difficult it could be to sway Naruto off his decided course of action.

So ultimately the redhead decided to follow the old saying of _if you got nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all_, and left the blonde's question unanswered.

Before Naruto could pester Gaara for a little feedback, Hinata voiced another question. "Um Naruto, you said Fang can't speak?"

"Well I don't really know if can talk or not. Sakura says nothing is wrong with him so he should be able to. At times he seems to understand what I'm saying but for the most part he ignores me everytime I try to start up conversation with him."

Naruto grumbled the last part out but Hinata paid no mind to it. She was more curious with the fact that Fang wasn't speaking. Maybe all he needed was to be prompted to it in the right way. "Could I maybe see him?" she asked shyly hiding her pale eyes within her hair again.

"I guess" said Naruto scratching the back of his head. "But why you want to do that?"

The timid girl began tapping her fingers again at the prospect of having to explain herself. "W-Well as you know, I'm studying to be a school teacher for students with disabilities and b-because of my stuttering I also plan to be a speech therapist. So I was thinking that maybe I could get some p-practice with Fang if you let me."

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed the blond goodheartedly but then got suddenly serious. "It is for free, right?" after Hinata nodded he cheered up again. "Then it's settled! Tomorrow morning I have to go hand in my trip-report to Prof. Kakashi so how about you come in then? That way Fang won't have to feel lonely two mornings in a row."

"Wait" Gaara interrupted. "Did you just say that _**you**_ left a relatively _**unknown **_person, who has lived _**most**_ of his life in the _**wild**_ and not in confined places, _**alone**_ in your apartment, _**unsupervised**_?"

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" asked Naruto not getting what the redhead was getting so work up about.

Gaara resisted the urge to face-plant on the table. Doing his best to maintain his composure he posted another question hoping that Naruto would get the hint this time. "Don't you think that was a little irresponsible of you?"

This time the blond understood what the redhead was implying but brushed it off. "Naaah, you're just being paranoid like always. I bet nothing is going to happen." remarked Naruto sure of himself.

"I bet you 20 ryo that something did already happen." replied Gaara also sure that he was in the right.

A short time later the boys said their goodbyes to Hinata and left for Naruto's apartment. "Be ready to pay up and eat your words!" said the blond as he unlocked and opened the front door of his home. It was placed on the fifth floor of the building.

Naruto gasped in shock at the sight that awaited them. All of Naruto's pictures and decorations were tossed and smashed on the floor. Even his favorite 6-foot lamp that he struggled to carry all the way up the stairs alone laid in ruin. The furniture was moved from their original place and the couch was flipped upside down. Thankfully though, the TV was left untouched.

"I've been robbed!" was Naruto's first reaction to the scene.

Gaara let his eyes wander around the place and commented, "Actually it's more like you'd been hit by a tornado. I don't think anyone from outside came in here."

"Then how else can you explain this mess?" asked Naruto facing Gaara. The blond was annoyed with the redhead's calm demeanor. He should be freaking out too!

Not turning his gaze away from the inside of the apartment, Gaara's eyes squinted as he saw movement. "I can probably give you a good guess of what went down here."

"Huh?"

Puzzled with Gaara's answer, the blond turned his head back to his home to see what the redhead meant by that only to yelped in surprise when he was pounced on by a brunet male. "Faaaaaang" Naruto whined after his back hit the floor. "You did this?"

Naruto heard footsteps and turned his head only to catch sight of Gaara's retreating back. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

"Elsewhere"

"What?! But aren't you going to help me?" the blond asked incredulously.

"It is none of my concern."

"But it's going to take forever to clean this up!" Naruto exclaimed evidently astonished

"Just as it was to be expected" the redhead retorted with a clear '_I told you so_' embedded in his words.

"Even so you're supposed to help me out here!" Naruto yelled in frustration. Then he smirked as he thought up of a foolproof plan that was sure to get the redhead to reconsider. "Aren't _**friends**_ supposed to help each other out? You _**are**_ my friend, aren't you?"

This effectively stopped Gaara's stride. He turned his head to fix his eyes on the blonde's grinning face and the brunet who was straddling him. To Naruto's disbelieve the redhead shrugged and continued to walk away. Just as he reached the staircase Gaara turned around one last time with a small smirk on his face to offer the blond one last word of advice before leaving.

"I don't get guilt-tripped."

* * *

**A/N:** _Yay Gaara and Hinata! Like I majorly ignored them in my last fic I felt like I had to redeem it with this one. I know we didn't see much of Kiba in this chapter but don't worry. We'll be making a huge step forward with Kiba's character in the next chapter so stay tuned for that! As for Naruto, I'll be revealing his past in bits and pieces for now. Thanks for reading!_


	4. It’s Only Polite to Give Your Name

**A/N:** _Not much to say. I hope you enjoy ^^_

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto I would have made damn sure that Kiba had a lot more cannon screen time than filler screen time. But things are not this way so it's obvious that Kishimoto is the owner of Naruto. Consequently that's why you will never see me complaining about filler episodes in the anime since they always been good to Kiba.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 4: It's Only Polite to Give Your Name**

Naruto woke up with a start the next morning. Sure he was tired from expending most of his day cleaning after Fang because of his small lapse of judgment. But there was nothing a good night of sleep couldn't fix.

Today he had to personally submit his report to Prof. Kakashi at his office. Plus Hinata was coming over to see if she could do something about Fang's lack of vocal response.

Smiling at the prospect Naruto was about to fling his legs out of the bed but stopped when a thought occurred to him. _'Let's see, I wonder if…"_ He cautiously gave a quick glance at his floor and spotted Fang sleeping on his floor like he suspected.

Naruto shook his head at the sight. _'Fang Fang Fang, you sure are a weird fellow. Keep this up and I might just have to start locking my door on you buddy.'_

The blond grinned mischievously as he came up with a prank that was just too good to pass up.

He picked up the alarm clock he never uses from his nightstand and set it up to ring in a minute from now. Then he carefully lifted the blanket from Fang's face and placed the loud object close to his right ear before covering the brunet again with the blanket.

The whiskered boy sat up Indian style in the furthest edge of his bed to watch from a safe distance. He grabbed a pillow to use as a shield if needed to and excitedly waited for the show to start. After all there's nothing wrong with a little payback.

'_The fun starts in 3, 2, 1…'_

BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP, RIIING!

A loud startled yelp could be heard from the brunet as he abruptly sat up. When Fang spotted the still ringing object that almost gave him a heart attack, the primal instincts he developed in the forest told him that the thing was challenging him.

Naruto covered his face with the pillow as Fang grabbed hold of the alarm clock and threw it with all his strength to the wall where it smashed into pieces and it finally quieted.

When the blonde peeked over from behind his pillow and saw the scared-as-shit expression Fang had on, Naruto doubled over and started laughing hard at the scene he had caused.

Fang, who was still stressing out from his rude wake-up call, noticed the other laughing at him. Putting two and two together he began to growl at the blond. Naruto in returned threw his pillow at Fang hitting him in the head.

"Aw loosen up! You know you had it coming!" said the blond with a smile. When the brunet started to rub his head and whimper Naruto added, "Oh cheer up. Look at the bright side. The fact that you reacted by smashing the alarm clock proved that deep inside you're as normal as anyone else."

Naruto laughed at Fang's continuous whining noises as he moved to pat the brunet on the head like a pet. "Now come on, time for breakfast!"

Fang quickly left his bad mood behind at the mention of food and raced to the kitchen.

"Haha, Sakura said I should balance your meals more and get you to eat some vegetables so today I'm making an omelet."

The tattooed male busied himself by tracing with his finger the spiral design carved on the dinner table while Naruto went to the fridge to look for the ingredients he needed. Eggs, ham, onion, tomato, bell peppers, sausage, bacon and cheese for extra flavor.

Putting it all on the kitchen counter he brought out a knife and started to chop the vegetables into tiny pieces at lightning speed. The blond liked to pretend he was a chef even though he was no expert with the kitchen knife. Consequentially this led him to cut himself between his thumb and index finger of his left hand.

"Shit" cursed Naruto losing his grip on the knife and backtracking a few steps. He made a move to head for the faucet and clean his cut but was stopped by a strong grip on his wrist.

Startled, Naruto turned to see Fang standing at his full height. The brunet maintained his firm grip as he brought up Naruto's wounded hand closer to his face inspecting it. Naruto's yelp caught his attention and the sight of blood alarmed him. He remembered how Naruto tended to him when the snake bit him so he wanted to return the favor the only way he knew how.

"Um Fang? I'm gonna need my hand back you know." said Naruto after 10 seconds of nothing happening. Then the brunet did something the blond did not expect. Fang lowered his head to Naruto's flesh and started to clean the cut with his mouth.

A jolt passed through Naruto spine and he tried to pull his hand away but Fang grabbed hold of his arm with his other hand to keep him there. Shock beyond belief Naruto could only watch dumbfounded with mild fascination as Fang sucked on his skin.

The brunet gave the cut one final lap with his tongue before pulling back. Once he deemed it clean enough he let go of Naruto and went back to his previous activity of tracing the pattern of the table.

"Okaaaaaay" muttered Naruto after a minute when he finally remembered to blink after that out of the ordinary experience. "You're definitely back to weird."

Thankfully the rest of the morning went by uneventfully but Naruto was still a little on the fence about the incident. They ate their breakfast in uncomfortable silence, for Naruto at least since Fang didn't seem bothered by it. As the blonde was washing the dishes he heard the doorbell ring and felt relieved.

'_Finally! That must be Hinata. Just the distraction I needed. It will do me good to get some fresh air.'_

Opening the front door with a big smile on his face he welcomed his guest. "Morning Hinata, glad you could make it!" Then he saw the person standing behind her and his smile turned into a frown. "Shino, what are you doing here?"

"Hmp, greetings to you too Uzumaki" replied Shino straightening his sunglasses.

Hinata, trying to diffuse the tension before it built up, explained on Shino's behalf. "Um N-Naruto, it was me who asked Shino to accompany me. I hope you don't mind." she finished twiddling her fingers.

"Well not really" said Naruto subconsciously scratching the back of his head. "But why did you bring him here in the first place?"

Naruto wasn't trying to be rude or anything. He just really couldn't come up with a good enough reason for the shaded male to be here. Of course Shino didn't take it that way and was quick to fill in the blanks.

"Did you honestly intend to leave Hinata alone with someone she haven't met before and expect her to be comfortable with it?"

"Eh? Well no but-"

"And did you actually believe that it would be wise to leave her alone and hope that nothing bad would happen?"

"Okay I get it. Geez!" Naruto complained stepping aside to let them in while muttering something about people always trying to show him up.

After getting them settled in, introducing them to Fang and making sure that he was behaving, Naruto grabbed his backpack and left Hinata to work her magic.

3 Hours Later

Naruto was dragging his feet back to his apartment with his backpack feeling much heavier instead of lighter as it should had felt. _'Freaking porn obsessed jackass and his freaking porn books'_

After having to wait for his professor outside of his office for two hours pass their scheduled meeting time one would think that Kakashi would at least have the decency to look ashamed for being late but that wasn't the case.

The blonde already wasn't feeling like a happy camper for having to wait but he nearly lost it when Kakashi walked in giggling like a pervert with his nose in his book and carrying a plastic bag filled with his latest purchases of adult magazines. The white haired educator walked into his office without even sparing a glance at Naruto.

Naruto marched in right after him, slamming the report on his desk while yelling and complaining for about ten minutes about responsibilities and about having better things to do. Yet Kakashi paid no mind to it preferring to focus on the explicit content of his book instead.

A knock on the door was heard stopping Naruto from his rant. When the voice on the other side revealed herself to be Anko Mitarashi, Kakashi's on and off girlfriend, said teacher panicked.

You see she didn't take kindly to Kakashi's little hobby. She felt that every time he picked up a dirty magazine it was like a silent complain that his love-life wasn't good enough. And every time she caught him with one she would deprive him from sex for a week. And that definitely wasn't something Kakashi was willing to give up.

So in a desperate attempt to hide the evidence he stuffed all his new purchases in Naruto's backpack ignoring once again the blonde's protest and arguments. He shooed Naruto off telling him with a dangerously friendly smile to guard the merchandise with his life like his grade depended on it, which in this case it kinda did.

'_Freaking no good pervert' _

Naruto never proclaimed to have much respect for teachers but could you really blame him? He had more than a good mind to dump his professor's treasured magazines in the nearest trash bin but he knew it wouldn't earn in any favors in the end.

Groaning he made his way up the flight of stairs before reaching his home. The only good thing he got out of it was that now that the report was submitted his summer vacation officially started. When Naruto entered the apartment he was greeted with the sight of an expectant Shino waiting in front of him.

"About time you got here" said the shaded male as he turned around. "Follow me; you'll be pleased to learn that Hinata was able to make some progress."

Naruto was about to complain about Shino having no right to boss him around but the prospect of new development in Fang's situation was enough to thrill the blond and forget about his awful day.

He dumped his backpack at the entrance and followed Shino into the living room where a smiling Hinata waited for him. She was sitting on a chair she borrowed from the dinner table and was holding a bunch of Card stocks, each with a different picture on them.

A couple of feet away, yet still straight in front of her, sat Fang cross-legged on the floor with his hands between his legs. Naruto had never seen him look so focus.

"Show him Hinata" said Shino.

"R-Right!" replied the girl shifting her pale eyes back to Fang. "Watch this Naruto."

Holding up one of the illustrations she asked, "Alright Fang, can you tell me again what this is?"

Fang rolled his eyes at the question he apparently been asked to answer about 30 times today. "Boat"

Naruto's eyes widen when he heard his new friend speak for the first time. As Hinata kept going from picture to picture the blond noted how strong yet gruff Fang's voice was, probably because of the lack of usage he given to his vocal cords. But to Naruto it was the sound of a miracle.

"Wow Hinata you're amazing! How did you get him to say all that?"

Hinata blushed at the compliment before answering. "Well it wasn't easy. It took us about an hour to get him to stay put and listen to me. It took another hour of me repeating the pictures with their names for him to get that I wanted him to repeat after me. Shino helped in putting an example. Half an hour later after he forced lots of weird noises out of his mouth he said his first word. Since then until now we'd been repeating the same process until he finally got it all right."

"That's incredible!" exclaimed Naruto again. "I can't believe you got him to speak!"

"Actually" said Shino interrupting Naruto's tirade. "He can't quite speak as you say. He is just mimicking the sounds we forced on him again and again. I highly doubt he understands at all anything he is saying. There is no coherent thought going through his mind."

"Aw come on Shino, give Fang some credit." protested Naruto.

"I'm just letting you know my observations" retorted Shino passively.

"Yeah well I'm going to prove you wrong!" said Naruto with finality.

"Be my guess" replied Shino unmoved.

Before the exchange could continue Hinata added. "I have faith in you Naruto" making the blond snicker, not that it put-off Shino any.

"Alright let's see. Hmm…" Naruto tapped his chin until he got an idea. "Aha, I got it!"

Grinning like an idiot he pointed at a random object while looking at Fang. "Lamp"

Fang understood what Naruto wanted from him and did his best to repeat the new word. "Ramp"

"Ehh, close enough" said the blond now pointing to the ground. "Floor"

And just like last time the tattooed male repeated the word with some difficulty. "Flur"

Then Naruto pointed at the girl in the room. "Hinata"

"Ginata"

"Naruto" he said pointing to himself.

"Nauto"

Then he pointed at the last person in the room. "Shino"

"Shino"

"What? How come you got his name right on the first try?"

Hinata tried to calm the stricken Naruto down while Shino stayed looking triumphant by the door frame.

"Don't get cocky yet, I'm just getting started!" said Naruto once he finished whining. The blond then repeated the same sequence again, changing the order every now and then, until Fang got it all correctly.

The shaded male failed to see what Naruto was trying to prove after the blond repeated the sequence for a fifth time. Naturally he let Naruto know how pointless he thought Naruto was being.

To Shino's surprise Naruto chuckled at his comment as if he was waiting for Shino to critic him.

"Now comes the real test!" Naruto announced while pointing at the lamp again. This time remaining silent and not saying the word.

Even without the prompt Fang called the object by its name. The same happened when Naruto pointed to the floor, to Shino, to Hinata and to himself. _'Hehe, now comes the hard part. Come on Fang. Prove that you are smart enough to get it.'_

Subsequently Naruto did something the others in the room did not expect and pointed straight at the tattooed male. That's when everyone finally understood what Naruto's real intention was. The blond was asking Fang to reveal his real name.

Fang blinked twice when he saw Naruto's finger pointed to his direction. He looked over his shoulder and saw nothing but an empty wall behind him. Looking back at the perfectly still Naruto, Fang pointed at himself to which Naruto nodded once giving the affirmative.

Everyone waited in tensed silence as Fang's gaze darted to the upper left lost in deep thought. The anticipation was so much that seconds felt like minutes until Fang's silt eyes connected once again with Naruto's blue ones. Fang pointed to himself before muttering the one single word that everyone was craving to hear.

"Kiba"

"Is your name really Kiba?" asked the blond warily.

The questioned brunet consented by nodding and repeating his name. "Kiba"

Naruto's reaction was anything but tamed as he quickly went to hug in excitement the closest thing to him. Said thing happened to be the very bashful Hinata Hyuuga.

The whiskered male jumped up and down in victory dragging the girl to do the same. Hinata, who was turning redder by the second because of the close body contact, made no effort in getting her crush off of her even though she was starting to feel lightheaded.

All that jumping around was starting to make Kiba dizzy so he put a stop to it the only way he knew how; by pouncing on Naruto. The blond was able to release Hinata just in time before he was shoved to the ground with his back against the floor.

Instead of getting angry Naruto began to laugh it off. "Is this going to become a recurrent thing between us Fa- Kiba?" he asked cheerfully at the brunet who was straddling him.

"Naruto" pronounced Kiba excitedly naming the person who took him in. He was baring his teeth in an attempt at smiling.

The blond happily smiled back at the brunet. "That's my name, don't wear it out."

Naruto then noticed Shino picking up bridal style a passed out Hinata and making his way to the exit.

"What happened to her?" Naruto asked confused.

Shino stopped to study the satisfied smirk on the girl's still blushing face before continuing to carry her out of the place. "Believe it or not it would seem that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing and Hinata found out the hard way."

"Huh?"

"Goodbye Uzumaki."

"Oh, alright I guess. Later Shino"

Naruto spent the rest of his day teaching Kiba the name of everything in the house among some other things. That is until Kiba got a headache and consequently stopped paying attention to Naruto.

Night came and like always Naruto turned his couch into a makeshift bed in hopes that Kiba would actually spend the night there. And like always the brunet stayed there until he was sure that the blond had fallen asleep before abandoning the couch and making his way on all fours to the master room.

Kiba got a little disorientated when he found that the door to Naruto's room was closed. Sitting on his ass he pondered on how to go about this situation. Remembering seeing others doing it Kiba raised a tentative hand and reached for the doorknob. Twisting the handle he grinned as he was able to conquer yet another obstacle.

Getting comfortable in his usual spot Kiba was about to rest but stopped when he heard tossing and turning coming from Naruto's bed. The brunet raised his head in curiosity and glanced at the blonde.

All of the other nights that Kiba had stayed there he had never seen Naruto move around in his sleep so much and it made him worry. By the blonde's grim expression and the sweat covering his body Kiba knew that Naruto was in some kind of pain. This wasn't too far from the truth since Naruto was caught up in yet another nightmare featuring the raven haired male from before.

Seeing Naruto trembling and fidgeting in his sleep reminded Kiba of the night after he had first met the blond. When his shack in the forest came crashing down because of the thunderstorm and he was left shaking under the pouring rain. But everything was made better when Naruto found him and stopped his trembling by putting his arm over Kiba's shoulders.

Taking this as the perfect opportunity to return the favor, Kiba got onto Naruto's bed as well and crawled closer to the blond. Resting beside him the brunet carefully circled his arms around Naruto's waist and brought Naruto's back to his chest. The brunet was happy to see that Naruto's body relaxed and his breathing calmed down. Satisfied with the results the Kiba also let himself relax and fell into peaceful slumber.

* * *

**A/N:** _Finally we reveal Kiba's name! The process of turning Kiba from an animal into a man has begun! lol, morning sure is going to be quite messy for the two of them when they wake up. Actions do bring consequences as we all know. Sakura is coming back in the next chapter with her findings so keep tuned for that XD_


	5. Not a Pet

**A/N:** _Yay for another update! I must say I'm very happy with the amount of reviews/alerts/favorites this story is getting. It's surprising because for what I've seen KibaNaru stories don't usually get much support. Whatever the case is I just hope you readers stick around for more._

_I would also like to remind you guys that this story is more than just a Naruto making Kiba into his perfect man kind of fic. I'm aiming for something deeper here and with more substance. And for the person who pm me asking about possible future lemons well (heheheh) it's rated M for a reason ^^_

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own Naruto. Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Not a Pet**

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

That morning Naruto woke up to a loud commanding voice that was distinctively female. Feeling disoriented he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands before opening them to see what was causing such a commotion so early in the morning.

Rolling on his stomach he looked to the side and was greeted with the sight of Kiba sitting on his bed. The brunet was giving his back to Naruto as he was too busy growling at the one responsible for disturbing their sleep.

There with her hands on her hips and leaning down enough for her face to be exactly a 12-inch ruler away from Kiba's own stood Sakura Haruno. By the way she was challenging Kiba's menacing growl by just staring him down it was obvious that she wasn't at all amused.

Both were too busy standing their ground that they failed to notice Naruto had woken up. The blond cleared his throat to get their attention before tackling the immediate problem at hand.

"Umm Sakura, what are you doing in my room so early in the morning?" asked Naruto stifling a yawn.

"_**Me???**_" she screeched standing up straight before pointing at Kiba. "What was _**he**_ doing sleeping in your bed when I came here?!"

Naruto's eyes widen and his mouth went dry after hearing this. Warning bells and ringing alarms going off in his head. His grip on the bed sheets tighten as his body shook involuntarily. Coincidentally he then tried to make light of the situation in an effort to conceal his inner mayhem.

Scratching the back of his head and hiding his worries behind a bright smile, Naruto joked. "Don't know, maybe Kiba just wanted to show that he approves of my choice of mattress. Hahaha, and here you wanted me to get the one made in Suna."

"Really?" Sakura wasn't at all pleased at how Naruto tried to brush it off. "Then maybe you should tell Fang that-"

"Kiba" the brunet was quick to correct her.

"Yeah that. As I was saying maybe you should tell Kiba that- DID HE JUST SPEAK???" she finished gawking at Kiba surprised by what she heard.

"Yeah he did, ain't that great!" Naruto instantly chimed in trying anything to divert the conversation away from where it was previously at. "Thanks to Hinata he can say a bunch of different stuff. That's how I know his name. He told us!"

"Aha, great" replied Sakura offhandedly as she gave Kiba a quick glance-over before directing her green eyes to Naruto again. "But that's still no excuse for-"

"Man I'm hungry! Mind if I get me some cereal first?" the blond interrupted as he jumped off his bed and stretched his arms. He was practically pleading Sakura to drop the subject.

The pinkette got the hint and sighed in temporary defeat. "Fiiiine" she drawled out. "There are other things we have to talk about anyways."

"To the kitchen then!" Naruto proclaimed gleefully as he made his swift escape.

Sakura shook her head in bewilderment before glancing back at Kiba who still hadn't moved from his spot on Naruto's bed. He was also watching her unsure of what to do.

The pinkette sighed again before following after Naruto. Of course she did it after sending Kiba a look that told him this wasn't over yet. Unfortunately for her the message was lost on the brunet since he only thought that she was making funny faces like Naruto did to try to make him laugh.

Once in the kitchen Sakura sat by the dinner table as she waited for Naruto to prepare his breakfast. She noted that Kiba also sat by the table with a spoon on his hand.

'_I'm surprised he can even use a chair let alone a spoon'_ Sakura thought. _'Naruto must be doing a better job than I thought.'_

She was forced to retract her words however when Naruto set a bowl in front of Kiba. He attacked it like a vicious animal. Chunks of cereal and droplets of milk flying off everywhere.

'_Sigh, so much for not being an irremediable cause. I guess I should have known you can't teach old dog new tricks.'_

Just as Sakura finished thinking this a chunk of cereal landed on her face. She gritted her teeth as she send a steeling glare his way. The pinkette removed the offending piece from her face and was about ready to pound in some manners on her unsuspecting victim but stopped when another milky wet chunk of cereal landed on her face.

Dangerously turning her face to the culprit she was irritated to see that Naruto was pigging out pretty much in the same way as the brunet was. Under two seconds flat she stood up and pummeled the blond instead.

"Oww Sakura, what was that for?!" cried out Naruto as he rubbed the lump on his head.

"Idiot! That's for eating indecently in front of a lady. You should know better than that! Even more now that you have someone who is depending on you to show him how to behave!" she scolded while pointing at Kiba to make her point clear.

She dropped her weight on her seat again and leaned backwards on the chair. Sighing she closed her eyes while rubbing her temples to calm an impending headache. Afterwards she addressed Naruto again with much less aggression.

"Look, all I'm saying is that for now you are the only influential person in Kiba's life and is up to you to shape up his character." she warned. "And I don't want to hear any complaining about it either because it was _**you**_ who decided to take him in so now _**you**_ have to deal with the consequences of your actions."

"I know already" muttered Naruto under his breath not at all happy about being scolded. "You don't have to keep reminding me."

"Good" said Sakura happy that the blond seemingly understood his position. Cracking one eye open she glanced at Kiba who was happily drinking up the remaining milk from his bowl. "So… he speaks then huh."

"Yep!" Naruto confirmed visibly perking up at the direction of the conversation. "But only a little though. Hinata said she would come every Tuesday and Friday morning to teach him more. Shino also said that on the meantime I should practice with Kiba what he learned from his sessions."

"That sounds reasonable" added Sakura.

"Yeah I guess. But for now he can only name stuff. Here I'll show ya!"

Naruto practically jumped into standing position. "Come on Kiba, can you tell me what that is?" he said pointing at some random object.

"Candle" he responded.

"Good boy!" congratulated the blond while patting Kiba on the head. "Ain't that awesome Sakura?"

"…I guess" she answered a little put off by what she was seeing. But Naruto didn't seem to notice it as he continued with his show and tell.

"If you thought that was cool then you haven't seen anything yet." he said with a broad smile. It was obvious how proud Naruto was of his achievements by just looking at how gaiety he was being. "I took the liberty of showing him a few tricks too. Just watch!"

Fetching a bag of cheese puffs from his kitchen cabinet, Naruto motioned for Kiba to stand in front of him.

Kiba eyed the snacks before connecting his dark eyes with Naruto's blue ones. The blond had discovered from his short time with the brunet that he would eat anything that had cheese on them so the snack Naruto picked would make the perfect treat for Kiba.

"Alright Kiba!" said Naruto shaking the bag lightly. "You know what you need to do to get the prize right?" Taking the prominent staring of the tattooed male as a yes Naruto continued. "Haha great! Then let's get down to business!"

The first thing Naruto did was point at the floor before giving a command. "Sit"

…and Kiba did. Grinning proudly Naruto slowly brought up his hand before giving his next command. "Stand up" and again the brunet followed through it.

"Now jump. Great job! Shake hands. Perfect, even better than yesterday! Now roll- Yeouchhhh!!!"

Kiba stood there clueless as he did not recognized the command. In front of him Naruto was kneeling clutching his blond head in severe pain, courtesy of Sakura of course. Said steaming female stood beside Naruto with her fist still tighten and a huge throbbing anger mark on her forehead.

The blond turned his face to pout at Sakura and demand what the heck he did now to deserve another whack on the head. The pinkette wasted no time vindicating her attack.

"Don't give me that pout cuz the hit was well deserved! I'm starting to think that you are the irremediable cause. How do you expect to ever help Kiba assimilate to today's society if you keep treating him like a pet? He's a human being too for God's sake! I know that you got issues letting people get close to you but pretending that Kiba isn't a person ain't going to fix anything!"

When Naruto winced Sakura knew she struck a sour chord with her last statement and immediately regretted doing so. _'But it had to be done to make my point'_ she tried to convince herself but to no effect. She still felt like she crossed the line. So for both their sakes she decided to dwell no further in the subject and quickly diverted it.

She asked Naruto to follow her into the living room where she left her handbag. Sakura then swiftly turned her back on him to give Naruto enough space to tight back his gloom and pretend he wasn't affected by her words. It was something they were both all too accustomed of doing. Pulling some papers out she sat down on the couch with the blond dropping next to her shortly after.

"So, think you're man enough to tackle the things I have uncovered Sir Naruto?" she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and Naruto played along.

"You know there's nothing I can't handle my fair lady." he said while tipping an imaginary cowboy hat. Then he winked while adding, "I say unlock the gate so I can face the bull head-on and show ya,"

They laughed at their silly antics before getting back to business.

"Alright seriously now" Sakura said waving the papers in her hands. "These are the results of the test I ran on Kiba the other day. You're going to be glad to know that Kiba doesn't seem to have any diseases on him and is in perfect health. He is a little low on Iron and Vitamin C though but no worries. I brought you some supplements to fix that."

Rummaging through her bag she brought two medicine bottles out and gave them to Naruto. "Just make sure Kiba takes one pill of each every night for the following weeks" she explained.

"Got ya" Naruto nodded in understanding.

"One more thing." she said while bringing out an injection needle. "I'm going to need you to bring Kiba here and keep him still for me."

"Why?" he asked edging away from the needle. "And what exactly do you plan on doing with that?"

"I'm just going to give him some basic vaccines. Just because he is healthy now doesn't mean he'll stay that way forever. And besides, this is a new environment for him so he is more prone to catch new viruses and diseases he isn't used to. This will help prevent them."

Nodding his response again Naruto called out for Kiba to come in. They chuckled when the brunet came in with his hands and mouth covered in orange. The obvious evidence that Kiba took full advantage of the bag of cheese puffs Naruto dropped on the floor when Sakura punched him.

Naruto patted the spot between him and Sakura and motioned for Kiba to sit there. Once the brunet sat on his designated spot Sakura grabbed the arm closest to her and stretched it out so she could work her magic. Naruto on the other hand grabbed hold of Kiba's face with his hands to keep him from looking at what Sakura was doing.

"Naruto that's no use, you're making him tense and I need him to relax." argued the pinkette.

That proved to be the difficult part because no matter what Naruto did they weren't able to coax Kiba to willingly let them impaled him with the vaccine. So after wasting minutes and accomplishing nothing Sakura had enough and forcefully turned Kiba face down on the couch and sat on his back to keep him there. _'Fine, if he doesn't want to be a good sport about it then we'll do it the hard way!'_

She told Naruto to hold down Kiba's legs and without any hesitation she injected needle after needle on Kiba's rear completely ignoring his growls and whimpers.

After everything was said and done Sakura nonchalantly put away her medical supplies completely unperturbed by the killer intent Kiba was sending her way. Naruto was seating besides the brunet holding his left arm and padding him on the back. It was an effort to both calm Kiba down from the rough treatment he received, and to keep Kiba from pouncing on Sakura if he ever decided to do so.

Naruto couldn't help but to chuckle at their predicament. "You know I hope you are not planning to become a pediatrician Sakura or the little kids are going to come out crying every time they go to you for a checkup."

"Ha ha, very funny Naruto" she replied dryly. That just made Naruto laugh more though.

"You know, I didn't know that hospitals let their interns carry that type of medicine with them in the first place"

Sakura stopped her movements for a short second before continuing to put away her stuff. "That's because they don't Naruto."

"Oh really?" asked Naruto now a little confused. "Then you must be an excellent apprentice for them to trust you with that equipment."

"That or they simply didn't notice that I took them." answered the pinkette refusing to face the blond.

"You mean that you… for me?"

Sakura nodded in silence and Naruto couldn't believe it. She just admitted to sneaking out controlled substances out of the clinic just to help him out. If found out this could cost her to lose her job. Sakura was a smart person so she obviously knew that already and still went ahead and did it anyway.

That single act clearly showed that no matter how much Sakura complained about him Naruto was really high up on her priority list. He couldn't help the grateful smile that formed on his lips because it meant that she regarded him just as much as he regarded her. It gave him hope that someday they would be able to put their messed up past behind them.

After she finished storing everything back on her handbag she stood up and twirled around with a happy grin of her own. "Okay then, how about we get Kiba cleaned up now so he doesn't stain anything with those orange hands of his."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Naruto conceded. Sakura was about to grab Kiba's wrist to get his hands washed but pulled away at the last moment to study the brunet. Naruto got puzzled by her behavior and asked if something was wrong.

"Naruto, is Kiba wearing the same clothes I put on him three days ago?"

"Probably, why do you want to –oh…whoops"

"Whoops? _**Whoops?! **_Are you honestly trying to tell me that you haven't bathed him even once since the last time I was here???"

"Ummm, it slipped my mind?" he responded nervously._ 'Darn, so much for happy Sakura. I'm so screwed right now'_

"Naruto I can't believe you!" she yelled in frustration swinging her fist to his direction him. "First the indecent table manners, then the dog tricks and now terrible hygiene? What am I going to do with you?!"

"Hey in my defense I happen to like the way I eat. If you don't like it then it's not my problem. And I don't have experience as a teacher either. Besides Kiba was getting tired of repeating things what else was I supposed to do? And let's not even get started on how awkward and uncomfortable I would be about washing another man? I thought you knew me better than that!"

"Stop being childish and stop making excuses! Of course I expected you to at least hose him down if you were that uncomfortable. And don't bring up that 'other man' crap because we both know perfectly well which way you swing! As for education you could have at least showed him how to count up to ten. It can't be that difficult! And yes, you should care that you're launching cereal like projectile weapons at other people when you eat!"

Naruto got distracted halfway through her rant though when something she said triggered his memory. "Counting? Counting! Oh shit counting!" he shouted looking at Sakura like if he just had an epiphany.

"Yes counting. What about it?" she asked wearingly.

"Shit Shit Shit" he cursed rushing to his room only to come out a few seconds later frantically trying to put on his black jeans over his pajama bottoms and an orange jacket over his t-shirt.

"I almost forgot that I promised Gaara to help him out on his research project today! Shit I told him that I was going to help him count how many guys and girls go to this year's 'Shinobi Arts Expo' so he can make statistical something or what not. He's gonna kill me if I'm a no-show."

"Okay I get you but what are you going to do about Kiba?" she asked as she watched Naruto look desperately for his missing right shoe. He finally found it under the sofa, slipped it on and bolted to the door.

"Watch him for me will ya? I'll owe ya!"

"What? Wait Naruto! I can't today because I have a-" The slam of the door indicated that it was already too late to argue. "-date"

She kicked the side-table to relieve her irritation before dropping her weight again on the cough and sighing in defeat for the umpteenth time that day. Her roommate Ino had spent all week trying to convince Sakura to give this random guy they met at the beach a try and now she had no choice but to cancel.

'_Ino is sure going to give me a hard time for it when I get home'_ Sakura groaned pulling her hair in frustration. Then she send a death glare to the single other person in the room. _'And it's all because of you'_

Kiba didn't particularly like the way Sakura was looking at him. The intent in her eyes was enough to send a chill down his spine. He started to crawl backwards when she stood up and paced her way toward him.

Beads of sweat started to form around his face when his back hit the wall. Kiba really didn't like the predatory glint in her eyes. But what could he do? From self experience with the pinkette, and from what he'd seen from Naruto's previous actions, women were apparently always in the right. It was better to just agree with them than to fight them.

Understandably that line of thought didn't calm his nerves any since it meant that physical violence with the woman was a no-go. What good was it to know how to wrestle down an elephant if he wasn't able to use his skills on another person? So deciding to put his newfound knowledge into good practice he tried to plead his way out instead.

"Zaaaa- Sssssss- Sssakura"

Said female crouched down in front of him with a reassuring smile on her face and patted Kiba on the head. "Aww how cute, you know my name."

Feeling temporarily at ease, Kiba started to relax into the feeling of her fingers playing with his hair. That is until Sakura grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him into standing position. "Unfortunately for you cute doesn't mean clean and you definitely stink." she remarked, her smile turning more sinister in Kiba's eyes.

Like always Sakura paid no mind to the protesting noises coming out of Kiba's mouth as she dragged him to the bathroom. If she was going to get stuck babysitting a grown man she might as well use this time to teach Kiba how to bathe himself. That way she could prevent future complications.

Knowing she was going to spend a lot of time in the bathroom Sakura opted to fill up the bathtub instead of using the shower. Naruto certainly didn't need an unnecessarily high water bill added to his list of problems.

Unlike last time they did this, Kiba was actually being compliant with everything Sakura did so she rewarded him by switching off her usual rough treatments. Once they finished with the lessons Sakura turned it into a bubble bath and let Kiba have a little more fun in the water.

Sitting on the sink Sakura watched with nostalgia as Kiba sank half of his face into the water and began to blow his own bubbles with his mouth. He reminded her of the good old days when Naruto used to be just as carefree. But nowadays the blond seemed to carry everywhere with him a huge weight on his shoulders that wouldn't let up. To this day he was still unable to bury the hatchet from his past.

Sighing again she grabbed a towel and started to dry off Kiba's hair. Seeing the playful innocence in his eyes she decided to give him some advice. "Kiba, I don't know if you can understand me or not but listen to what I have to say, alright?"

Sakura pause her ministrations to let the brunet digest her words. She continued when she saw that Kiba was focusing his attention on her. "I know I probably have no say in this but try not to get too attached to Naruto. Trust me it's for your own good. Naruto doesn't open up to anyone so if you get close to him you'll probably grow frustrated and miserable"

Although unspoken, the silent _'like me'_ was still evident at the end of her speech. She couldn't help feeling that it was partly her fault that Naruto was now this way. That's why no matter how bad things got she would never leave him behind. But she also would never wish her fate on someone else. That's why she tried to warn Kiba about growing attached to Naruto.

She remembered the panicked look in Naruto's eyes that morning when she told him that Kiba slept on his bed. Even though the blond tried to hide it, Sakura didn't fail to notice how distressed Naruto really was. She could only imagine what he would have done if she had mention that Kiba was practically spooning him when she entered the room. She decided that it was best not to tell him.

The brunet placed one hand on his throat and started making an effort to speak. He wanted to know what 'attached' meant but he found that he didn't know how to pose his question. Not enough words yet in his vocabulary. So instead he only made some gargling noises that made Sakura laughed.

"Teehee don't strain yourself now. I wasn't expecting you to answer anyways. Just promise me you'll think it over okay? Now come on, let's get you dried up!"

__-__-__-__-__-__-__

Because Naruto came back home at 4 o'clock, Sakura also had to make lunch for her and Kiba. She chatted with the blond for a little bit before making her way to her own home.

Mulling over Sakura's words when he was out Naruto decided that she was right about the way he was treating Kiba. It was unintentional but somehow he did end up treating the brunet like a pet. So just after he finished lending Gaara his help he went straight into the closest department store and bought Kiba three change of clothes (3 pairs of shirts and shorts) for him to call his own.

Naruto showed them to Kiba and assigned him a place where he could store them. When Kiba nodded in understanding Naruto had to resist the urge to pat him on the head like he usually did when Kiba got something right.

Kiba on the other hand thought that Naruto was acting weird but paid no mind to it. That was until that very night when he tried to get into the blonde's room like he had been doing every night only to find that the door was closed. But that wasn't what he found odd. No, what really confused him was that the door was locked too.

The brunet didn't understand what was going on. All he knew was that he didn't like it. So, much to his discontentment, he had no other choice than to retreat back to the coach he neglected to use all those other nights before. Unsurprisingly, he didn't get any sleep that night. The event did served a purpose however because now Kiba was more determined than ever to learn how to speak. His only motivation was to be able to communicate with the whiskered man that rescued him.

* * *

**A/N: **_Basically this chapter had two purposes. First I wanted to show the kind of relationship Naruto and Sakura had. They are best friends and have a long history together and would to anything for each other. They both know each other well, including things that they don't share with anybody else. Like Naruto's sexual preferences like Sakura hinted in one of her arguments._

_But there's an obvious strain in their relationship and it has to do with something that happened in Naruto's past. That's also the reason why Naruto acts the way he does in my story. Even though they are trying to work their way out of it, they obviously haven't been able to do so yet._

_The second purpose of the chapter was for Naruto to stop viewing Kiba as a pet. It wasn't something that he was doing on purpose. It was more like a defense mechanism he unconsciously developed to protect himself. Hehehe, but now that Naruto is going to make and effort to no longer see him as a pet, and because of the future progress Kiba is sure to make, it won't be long until Naruto starts seeing Kiba for the man he is XD_

**A/N2: **_Oh and by the way, expect to see my other favorite character in the next chapter. My top three includes Kiba, Naruto and someone else. Those who already know me should be able to figure out with ease of whom I am talking about ^^_


	6. See Nothing, Feel Nothing, Right?

**A/N:** _Sorry for the long wait! But instead of me wasting your time giving you good excuses let's just go own with the show XD_

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto then… well let's just say it wouldn't be the same.

**Warning:** M-rated material in the first part of the chapter. Also the first part it's in Naruto's POV since it's practically his mind doing the talking.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Eyes That Don't See, Heart That Doesn't Feel**

_The sensuality of his mouth, the feel of his touch… he had me controlled like a puppet._

_Every stroke and every touch that was shared between us had me melting. I ran my hands down his chest, tracing the faint outlines of his muscles as he hovered over me, naked._

_His lips felt soft against mine, but our kiss was anything but gentle. I ran a hand through his long, choppy hair, bringing him in so I could kiss him harder, stronger. I could feel my body burning with heat. He sucked on my bottom lip, causing a deep, guttural moan to escape from me, causing more tension between us._

_I couldn't see his face, but it was better this way; less personal, no attachments._

_He was hot and sweaty, like he was in the midst of a fever. When the kiss was broken, I leaned up so I could meet my urge to lick the sweat off his shoulder._

_His breath visibly hitched. I could feel his whimpers and heavy breaths fan against my ear. An electrifying shiver ran down my spine._

_He took advantage of our closed distance to regain some of his dominance. He licked the shell of my ear before biting my earlobe teasingly. My face burned with a heat I had never known before._

_Kisses feathered lightly over my skin, and a type of anticipation wrapped around my heart. I felt a trail of light kisses travel down my ear, jaw line and halfway down my neck before he bit down on the skin._

_An uncontrollable gasp of surprise escaped from me and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him for support. Even though his action didn't break any skin I swore that his teeth were sharper than what they should have been. Strangely enough it just helped turn me on a little more._

_He kissed my left cheek chastely as he gently traced the scars on my other cheek with his fingers before running his hand down my also exposed body. My skin prickled underneath his teasing touch. His hands were anything but smooth though. It was obvious that they have done their fair share of hard manual labor. _

_I groaned in soft protest, wishing he'd move faster. I didn't want the pretence of love. I just wanted to get my fill and be done with it. But apparently he wasn't playing my game._

_I felt his hand wrap around me. Breath slowly escaped from me and I shuddered violently. His hand moved up and down, stroking me, causing me to a feel a euphoric pleasure. I could only stay there and moan._

_A fiery feeling of hunger and lust pooled in my abdomen and I found my cravings and desires to feel him and be touched by him grow stronger. I made it my goal then and there that I would memorize every contour over his body and make sure that he memorized mine._

_I moaned and said profanities that I would never say in a different situation. All I got in response was a lusty rumble deep in his throat to let me know he was enjoying it. I closed my eyes, studying how good it felt to have him touch me and stroke me so intimately._

_Even though I found it odd that he still hadn't said a word to me, it was sort of appeasing. Not only could I not match his face but now I wouldn't be able to pinpoint the sound of his voice on anyone either. _

_His breathing, I noticed, had become audibly heavier, not that I was any exception. Every action was met with a moan from both parties. Every effort brought on heavy, wet breaths._

_He stroked a part of me that felt excruciatingly good. My reaction was strong. As my body trembled, I arched my back into his touch, moaning loudly and shamelessly as I encouraged more. The pace he had set his hand at was steady, and as I breathed heavily and begged him for more, he finally came to a stop and removed his hand._

_I felt lost without his touch, and both confusion and desperation consumed me. I kissed him repeatedly over his face and neck, asking/ __pleading__ for more. He said nothing and instead, motioned for me to turn around, even sitting back properly to let me move._

_I obeyed without a single argument. I knew what was going to happen, what with me positioning myself so temptingly on my hands and knees, and I felt myself quiver in excitement. After a moment of quiet waiting, I felt two long, slick fingers slide into me. My nails dug into whatever I was holding at the moment. I was barely aware of the setting, it could've been the comforter or the carpet or whatever, and my toes curled and my back curved._

_I took a sharp intake of breath as his fingers sat uncomfortably inside of me. He began to move them. I grunted softly. He leaned over my body, his incredibly apparent erection brushing against my thigh, so he could apply his mouth into my shoulder. I moaned in response, the feel of his tongue strangely familiar to me._

_My chest was feeling hotter than usual, especially when he began to stroke it softly. The fingers inside of me continued to move. I felt his fingers brush a part of me that caused me to jump._

_I held back a whine as his fingers persisted on hitting the bundle of nerves inside of me. I felt myself instinctively bucking back. With his free hand he held me by the hip, steadying me and trying to hold me in place. I felt my arms beginning to slack off and I let my face rest on its side against the floor (or was it a mattress?) as his fingers continued to penetrate me._

_Another sinful moan, another thrust, another beg… What with him being such a tease, I should've known it'd come to an end just when it started to feel spectacular._

_I felt his fingers slip out of me. I felt more than disappointed with the absence inside of me. But then I felt something larger and warmer begin to penetrate me. I felt it slowly push in further and further._

_It was extremely uncomfortable and even painful. I groaned softly, biting my bottom lip in hopes of forcing back a scream._

_I felt him rest inside of me for a moment. He panted, and I could hear him perfectly._

_I could feel him pulsating and stretching me. The heat was almost unbearable. He slowly began to move in and out of me._

_It took me awhile before I began to feel pleasure. I felt friction and more heat, something I thought that would be impossible, and I wanted more, and I was sure to tell him that._

_My arousal was incredible, and I found myself falling into sheer ecstasy. I moaned loudly and began to move my hips back, both of us soon falling into a unanimous rhythm._

_He groaned loudly, and the sound of it alone let my body shudder. He continued to move steadily in and out of me, though a little quicker when I began to move my hips back to meet his. Then I became relaxed, letting pleasure take over me._

_He struck something inside of me once again and I hissed loudly. He began to hit it again, striking me over and over more forcefully as I cursed quietly under my breath._

_My body was turning into a shuddering mess. I felt heat and wanton pleasure take over my body. My nails dug into whatever surface I was placed upon as he continued to pound into me harder and faster just as I asked, and he moaned above me._

_He began to place hungry kisses on my neck desperately. He was close, I could tell. His hand wrapped around my shaft again and he moved it in time with his thrusts. His pressed his face against the small of my back and I could clearly feel his breathing was getting faster and more erratic._

_Arousal and heat was beginning to pool in my stomach. Fuck, I was so close. I continued to cry out as he moved inside of me and pumped me with his hand. I could feel it, my release was coming soon. I once again clenched my eyes, moving my hips, in what direction, I couldn't tell. He let out an animalistic growled as he moved harder and faster and deeper and then…_

Naruto woke up with an alarming start. _'Whoa!'_ He shot up and looked around, eyes wide. _'What the heck was that all about?'_

He slapped a hand to his forehead and willed his body to cool, grimacing as he shifted and felt the wet sheets and stained pajama pants. _'Damn, I haven't had one of those kinds of dreams since high school.' _And then Naruto smiled faintly _'At least it beats having another nightmare, that's for sure.'_

As Naruto got up from his bed to look for a change of clothes for the shower he definitely was going to need, he couldn't help but wonder of who he was dreaming of and if he ever met him before.

Sure throughout the dream the blond never saw the other face or heard his voice. And even though Naruto preferred it that way he couldn't help to pick at his curiosity. The eerie feeling that he somehow knew his onetime dream lover was difficult to shake off.

A little disappointed that he couldn't figure it out but still perfectly fine with it, Naruto grabbed what he needed and headed to the shower. He didn't let his latest failure bother him one bit. After all the answer always came to him sooner or later; and the later the better.

Stepping out of his room he gave a quick glace at the leaving room to verify if his plan worked. Even though he saw no sign of Kiba the couch still looked like it was slept on and that's all Naruto needed to know.

Fast-tracking to his only bathroom, Naruto wasted no time in disrobing himself and jumping into the freezing water. After a cold shower he rinsed his mouth and looked at his face in the mirror. He rarely ever looked at his reflection anymore because of the scars on his face, but today's unusual dream made him want to take a good look at himself.

In his mind there was nothing special about his looks; in fact he was more or less average looking. _'Not a face someone could fall in love with'_ he lamented. The scars on his face weren't helping his poor self-image either. _'At least they look sorta symmetrical. It could have been worst' _he thought in a mild attempt to cheer himself up.

Of all the things, he had taken an immense liking to his cerulean blue eyes. Even if the blonde had been butt-ugly, those eyes still would have made his face look pleasant. He sighed and got dressed so he could go make breakfast but just then someone rang his doorbell.

The ringing of his doorbell was followed by consistent knockings that left Naruto wondering who it could be. If it was Gaara he wouldn't be making so much noise, Hinata would had called first and Sakura would just had let herself in.

As he made his way to answer the door Naruto hoped that it wasn't the landlord again trying to give him beef. Naruto made sure that he paid his rent on time this month so he wouldn't have to deal with that again.

Peeking through the door-hole Naruto sighed in relief when he saw it wasn't the landlord the one who was relentlessly knocking on his door. Instead he saw an impatient looking blonde female standing outside. He was sure that he seen her somewhere before but couldn't pinpoint where exactly.

He opened the door enough to ask who she was and what she wanted but was surprised when she pushed it all the way and barged inside like it was nobody's business. He grabbed her by the arm before she could get in any further though.

"Hey! You can't just step in other people's homes uninvited!"

"Ease off!" she said slapping his hand away without sparing a glance at him.

Then she began looking from side to side, turning her head at every direction as if she was searching for something.

"Where is he?" she asked distractedly.

"Where is who?" Naruto questioned taking hold of her arm again to both gain her attention and to keep her from snooping around where she was not wanted.

She immediately turned to scowl him. "Don't play dumb with me, who else would I be referring to? Where's the jungle boy? Your Tarzan."

Naruto froze at her claim. _'How did she know about Kiba? Is she pulling my leg? Did someone see him? Was I reported? Is she here to take him away?'_

That and so many other interrogatives sprung around his head at a record speed that his brain almost short-circuited. Then out from behind him, as an answer to his questions, a pale hand landed on his shoulder making Naruto jump away from the sudden weight.

Quickly turning around in alarm he exhaled in relief when he saw that it was Sakura the one who snuck up on him.

She had her head down, both hands on her knees and was panting slightly. She held one hand up to signal him to give her a short minute to catch her breath. Once she did Sakura stood up straight and faced the two blondes before her.

Sending an apologetic look at the boy she started to explain "Sorry Naruto, right after I woke up she was prodding and bitching at me to tell her the reason I left planted the guy she set me up with and I kinda let the whole Kiba thing slip."

Then the pinkette send a seething glare at the other girl before adding, "Then she said she had to see it for herself and ran off before I could stop her. I tried to get dress as fast as I could before chasing after her but she took the keys to my car with her so I had to run all the way here!"

The blond female just rolled her eyes at Sakura's accusation while muttering something about how the other girl shouldn't have kept good gossip from herself in the first place.

Naruto gave a quick glance at the unknown girl before pointing at her and turning to Sakura with a shock expression on his face. "Wait! You know who she is?" he half-shouted making the pinkette narrow her eyes at him in an annoyed fashion.

"Don't you remember? She's Ino Yamanaka"

"Huh?" Naruto said turning to blonde female again. "Should I remember you?" he asked with a confused tone.

Ino gasped and forcefully free her arm from his grip. She placed both hands on hers hips and leered at him. "You damn well should! We met about four times already! The least you could do is remember a pretty face! What are you, gay or something?"

Before Naruto could response though Sakura slapped him on the back of his head, "Idiot, of course you know her. She's my roommate."

"Oww Sakura, hitting me before breakfast, that's a new record for you" complained Naruto while he rubbed the back of his head. The pinkette just stuck out her tongue at him as a response.

Then Naruto turned to Ino so he could study her face more clearly and that's when it clicked. He slammed his right fist on his left palm to emphasize the point. "Now I remember, you're that pageant girl that got screwed!"

That exclamation made Ino's eye twitch and earned him a kick to his shin, courtesy of Sakura of course. You see mentioning Ino's pageant days before the blonde female was considered taboo at the moment. A fact Naruto shortly remembered as he rubbed his now bruised leg.

One of the things Ino could but doesn't like to be described as was a failed beauty queen. Her biggest childhood dream was to win her homeland's beauty pageant and become Miss Konoha. She trained hard for it too. But she fell one step short from the crown because of something she had no control over and ended up being the runner-up.

Puzzled by the results Ino later asked why she didn't win when she had clearly outperformed the others in every single event. To her surprise all the judges agreed that she was the better candidate by a long mile. But the thing was that they were looking for a more "cultural" beauty to represent Konoha and Ino simply looked too foreign.

It's no secret that Ino felt like the crown was stolen from her. No one could blame her for it though. That happened a little under a year ago. So the subject was still a sore note for her and therefore prohibited of being discussed in her presence.

Ino in return crossed her arms and averted her eyes from the scene clearly annoyed with the other two. Sure she didn't like to be reminded of her pageant days (Naruto) but she also didn't like to be treated like she would break if someone brought it up (Sakura).

She had half a mind to tell them just that but then the sole reason she was here in the first place waltzed into her field of vision. Ino couldn't help the delighted squeal she let out when she saw her target.

Eating straight from the cereal box, Kiba walked out of the kitchen to see what the ruckus was all about. He took a step backwards when he saw Sakura and another girl standing next to Naruto. And he practically planted himself to the wall the moment the one with the ponytail landed her eyes on him.

Not that the brunet was a coward or anything but lately he been getting a little scared of the female specie. He just never knew what to expect from them.

Sure Hinata was soft-spoken and easy to push around but Sakura was another story entirely. Most likely than not the pinkette would beat up whoever attempted to lay a finger on her; Kiba had been dragged by the hair enough times to know not to cross her.

And now there was yet another girl walking in the front steps of Naruto's home and Kiba didn't know what to expect. But the fact alone that the newcomer came in with Sakura was enough to make him jumpy. Furthermore the high-pitched squeal she let out when she spotted him didn't help any to appease his uneasiness.

Making a mad dash to Kiba's direction, Ino got too close for comfort that the brunet had to press himself even further against the wall to keep their faces from touching.

"Wow you're way hotter than I thought you would be! You're Kiba right? I expected to see you hunching like a monkey or something! I'm Ino by the way. Are those tattoos real? Wow look at your eyes! What's the matter cat got your tongue? It's only polite to answer a lady's questions you know."

Kiba's panicked eyes darted from Ino to Naruto to Ino and back to Naruto again asking him for help. In the end it was Sakura the one who, without any hesitation in her step, pulled Ino away from Kiba and stood between them.

"Geez Ino, layoff him for a second will ya!" scolded the pinkette. The other female hmped, crossed her arms and looked away not liking to be scolded by her peers. Sakura sighed before continuing. "As I was saying this morning before you rudely walked out on me…"

-_-_-_(minutes later)-_-_-_

Sakura filled the other girl on everything concerning Kiba. She recounted the story that Naruto told her about how he found Kiba, mentioned how the brunet was only just learning how to speak with Hinata's help, briefly commented on the results of the medical exam she administered, and lastly told Ino that they were still trying to figure out who Kiba was and where did he came from.

By the end of the tale Kiba and Ino where sitting on the couch (Kiba's bed), Sakura was sitting on its armrest and Naruto was standing by the TV.

"Wow, I wish my life was half as exciting" awed Ino in amazement. Then she turned her head to Kiba but her face dropped when the brunet instantly shifted away from her.

That made Naruto chuckle, "Haha, looks like you managed to scare him off. Hahaha, I guess you didn't make that good of a first impression."

"Shut it whiskers! This just shows how little you know about my charming capabilities." Ino shot back while she rummaged through her purse. She pretended not to notice the pout & glare combo Naruto sent her way at the nickname she dubbed him with. After all she had to make sure that the other blond remembered her the next time they met and insults were always a surefire way to get people to remember you.

'_Bingo!'_ Ino inwardly stated as she found what she was looking for. She brought out her white Nintendo DS, tuned up the volume to the max so the Tetris theme could be heard, and started to play with it.

Naruto and Sakura shared their incredulous _'she's joking right?' _looks with each other. Neither could figure out what Ino was trying to achieve with that little stunt. That's why both of their jaws dropped as they didn't expect to see what happened next.

It was as if Kiba was transfixed to the object in Ino's hands, and as if the music coming from it was drawing him in. Little by little he was edging closer to her until he was sitting right next to her watching with immense curiosity the game Ino was currently playing.

The blonde female, pretending to just notice the brunet beside her, asked Kiba if he wanted to play with it. She handed him the DS and started showing him how to use it and what he need to do to win.

Kiba was so fixated on the game that he barely registered how Ino was leaning on his shoulder. Sakura and Naruto had to hand it to her. She certainly knew how to reel people in.

After some time watching the display before them Sakura looked up at Naruto as she suddenly remembered something she wanted to talk about.

"Oh Naruto, I almost forgot to tell you. Lee's race at the Olympic Games is today at 11:00am. The others and I are going to TenTen's place to watch it on her huge widescreen TV. She wants you to come too since you were his gym buddy and all. Are you up for it?"

"You bet I'm going to be there! I wouldn't miss it for the world, believe it!" Naruto responded animatedly; but then his shoulders lowered as his gaze shifted to Kiba. "But…"

Sakura eyes followed his gaze and also landed on Kiba. "Oh…"

Both of them resorted to stare at the floor dejectedly cursing the bad timing. That is until Ino shipped in with a solution to their dilemma.

"You two can go if you want. I don't mind staying with Kiba. He can't be that hard to handle."

Naruto stared at the back of her head as he considered her suggestion. She still hadn't moved from her spot next to Kiba as she was busy directing his every move. "Are you sure about that?"

"Duh I am! I was never too fond of Lee anyways so it'll be alright." Ino answered dismissively.

Sakura snickered at Ino's response and made her way to whisper at Naruto's ear. "She's just bitter because Lee never once complemented her on her looks."

"I heard that Sakura." said Ino flipping her hair as she finally turned to face the other two. "It's not my fault that he only has an eye for deformities!"

"And what the hell is that suppose to mean _**Ino-Pig**_!" Sakura immediately lashed out.

"You know exactly what it means _**Billboard Brow**_!" Ino countered.

"WELL DON'T BLAME ME IF HE DOESN'T HAVE AN EYE FOR PLASTIC!"

"TAKE THAT BACK FOREHEAD GIRL! YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THAT I'M ALL NATURAL!"

Naruto was about to ask them to keep their voices down but faltered when Kiba let out a frustrated growl since without Ino's guidance he lost the game he was playing.

'_That growl. Why does it sound so familiar?'_ he wondered.

Then, at that very moment, tons of images from his dream that morning flashed through his mind. The difference being that now the face of the man in his dream was no longer blurry and Naruto could easily recognize him.

Apparently he was lost in his thoughts for longer than he expected because when he came back to the real world Sakura was waving her hand in front of him. And Ino was busy with Kiba again, the girls' previous argument having long ended.

"Hello? You there? Come on let's go. We don't want to be late." stated the pinkette as she juggled the car keys she had taken back from Ino.

"But-" Naruto stared but didn't finish because he couldn't process his thoughts into words at the moment. Flashes of his dream kept running through his brain.

"Don't worry about it." Sakura soothed misunderstanding his concern. "Ino may be a little eccentric but she's dependable so don't fret about it". Taking closer inspection on the whiskered boy Sakura asked. "Hey why is your face all red? Are you coming down with something?"

Gulp, "N-No I was…" Naruto stuttered.

"Then let's get moving already. I promise to stop somewhere to buy you breakfast, now move!" she said as she started shoving him toward the front door.

Naruto gave one final glance at the couch's direction as realization hit him hard. _'Fuck did I just have a wet dream about Kiba? Shit, why is this happening to me?'_

Needless to say, Naruto was distracted throughout his whole stay at TenTen's place that he almost didn't see when Lee won the golden medal. All his thoughts were centered on the brunet he left back in his apartment.

* * *

**A/N:** _Phew, yet another chapter finished. Special thanks to kamikaze101 for helping me mold the first scene. The next chapter will be all about Kiba as he tries to communicate better with Naruto so stay tuned for that! My college semester ends in two weeks so I'll finally have more freedom to write. Yay us! I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. R&R if you did. Until next time! (waves goodbye)_

**Fanfic Recommendations:** So lately I've been reading a lot of recent Kiba fanfictions and I stumbled on a few new fics that I really liked and that I think you should check out!

1) _**Secrets of Konoha**_ by _**Arofa**_. _It's a KibaFemNaru fic set in the shinobi world. I know the gender-bender may not be everybody's cup of tea but so far it kept my interest (and that's a good thing). His other KibaNaru fics aren't bad either though._

2) _**Classmates of Hell**_ by _**haretikers**_. _Now this one really is a must read for every Naruto fan. It's a real-world version of the manga/anime set in high school and instead of Naruto wanting to be hokage he wants to be president. It's filled with a lot of humor, a great plot, characters that are in-character and 5 possible contenders (Sasuke, Hinata, BigRole!__**Kiba**__, Ino, Sakura) for Naruto's affection. I promise you won't be disappointed if you give it a try._

3) _**Serendipity**_ by _**Annie Sparklecakes**_. _If you like the character of Sakura, are a Kiba fan, and can put up with Sasuke then this is the fic for you! It's about Sakura finding out the meaning of beauty. It's a somewhat dark AU fic and has a very unique plot. It says it has no pairings but it could possibly go to a KibaSaku or a SasuSaku. _


	7. Hear Me

**A/N:** _So many things have happen to me between this update and my last one. The two most important being that my computer hard-drive crashed (forever losing years of work including my most recent deviations) and that final exams are finally over. So now I have enough time to spare on this fanfic. I'm planning to write and finish it before the summer is over so have your fingers crossed for that!_

_Anyways this chapter focuses more on Kiba's perspective than it did in the others chapters. Basically that's because I wanted to show Kiba's thoughts on everything that has happened up until now, and to give him more character depth for you readers to get to know him better._

**Disclaimer:** I did not create Naruto nor do I own it. And frankly its repetitive plot is staring to bore me. But my love for its characters remains ever so strong. I mean it's not their fault that Kishimoto has no idea what to do with all the characters he created anymore.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Hear Me**

It's been two weeks since that fateful night that started the first of many unwontedly passionate dreams to come and Naruto didn't know how to handle it. He blamed it on the fact that he'd been alone for a very long time and now that he had someone living under his same roof his brain was playing mind-tricks on him.

Things were a lot easier when Kiba acted more like a pet instead of the man that he was supposed to be. The brunet made a lot of progress with Hinata too. The girl even commented on the turnaround. She said that lately Kiba seemed so eager to learn that she moved on to teaching him verbs and their meanings ahead of schedule. Kiba was very receptive indeed.

Consequently the blond resorted to making more trips to the gym as a way to release that tension. It was easier to get out of the house too since apparently Ino had taken a strong liking to Kiba and jumped at every opportunity to babysit the guy so Naruto could go outside.

Exercise was a stress reliever for Naruto. It tired out the whiskered male's treacherous hormones and gave him peace of mind as he worked out. After it Naruto always felt like he could deal with anything life had in store for him.

But unfortunately today wasn't one of those days. Hinata already came yesterday and wouldn't come again for another two days. Ino on the other hand started her acting classes today and wouldn't be able to come either. She was trying to find her calling in other areas besides swimsuits competitions and figured that acting was a good place to start as any.

Naruto didn't want to bother Sakura either. He felt like he'd been depending on her too often lately and didn't want to become some kind of burden. So after a late lunch, Naruto was left with nothing other to do than to stay at home and watch his tattooed companion.

He was starting to feel sorry for the brunet too. The other day Ino asked if she could take Kiba out for a walk but Sakura was adamant when she said no. The pinkette argued that Kiba wasn't prepared yet to commute with the outside world. Not even when Ino proposed to buy him a leash did Sakura relent. She claimed that Ino only wanted to live out some crazy S&M dominatrix fantasy. It wasn't hard for Naruto to picture that to be true either. The ponytailed female, in Naruto's opinion, did fit the bill of a person who'd enjoyed making men kneel at her presence.

Basically Naruto felt bad that Kiba wasn't allowed outside and had to remain stuck instead between four walls all the time. He wondered how Kiba felt about it too. Surely the brunet couldn't be comfortable in such an environment after living his whole life out in open air but so far Kiba hadn't shown any complains about his circumstance.

Right now Kiba was sitting on the floor finishing yet another puzzle game. Shino had bought it for Kiba, a fact that surprised the heck out of Naruto, to both stimulate Kiba's mind and to give the brunet something to do between sessions. Kinda like homework.

Every time Shino came he gave Kiba one with a bigger set of puzzle pieces than the one before. The tattooed male was just finishing a 30 piece set and seemed to take it seriously too.

Kiba was laying on the floor focused on the puzzle game sprawled between his parted legs. Because of his refusal to wearing anything tight-fitting, Kiba was clothed in nothing else but his gym shorts and his usual loose yellow t-shirt with the _**I Love Nachos**_ print on the front.

Because of that it was hard for anyone to tell that Kiba had a strong upper built since his shirt hid his muscles. Hard for anyone but Naruto I mean. The blonde's recurrent dreams for the past nights could easily back that up.

Yet unlike Kiba' shirt, his trousers left little to the imagination. The way the brunet was sitting made his pants ride up leaving Naruto with a perfect view of his well sculptured legs. Furthermore with the fabric of the shorts being so light and with Kiba spreading his legs out like he did, Naruto could perfectly make out the size and shape of what Kiba carried between his-

'_GAH!' _Naruto reprimanded himself inwardly as he pressed the palms of his hands hard against his straying eyes_. 'Was I really just about to check out Kiba's package? Stupid brain stop making me think like a sicko! Damn it, I really need to release this frustration in some way but without the gym my choices are limited.'_

Kiba on the meantime was smiling proudly at his accomplishment as he finished his puzzle game. Whipping off his the imaginary sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Kiba turned to Naruto hoping for his praise. Yet the brunet ended up laughing to himself when he saw the blond covering his eyes and mumbling to himself like he had been frequently doing for the last couple of days.

Laughter, it was one of the many things Kiba hasn't done for as long as he could remember. He couldn't even remember his parents that well or their names. Not that he was sure that he ever knew it in the first place since at that age he probably only called them mommy and daddy. That is if he even spoke yet. But he figured he must have at least let out a chuckle by then.

Somehow even though the brunet knew he had a comfy life before the forest, he couldn't remember any of it. Kiba had no recollection of how his parents died either even though he was sure he was present when it happened. He didn't know how to feel about that either.

Not even his memories afterward were perfectly intact. Kiba's life up until now could have been one big blur for all he cared. He spent most of those years scurrying around for food, hiding from predators, drinking water from the river, and basically being scared for the better half of the day. He only returned to his small shack during the night where he felt drowned by the ever present feeling of loneliness. His days were so monotonous that Kiba couldn't really tell one day apart from the other.

So there really wasn't much space for fun or anything else to be honest. But that all changed the moment Naruto stepped into the picture. Kiba was so shocked when he first saw Naruto that the brunet didn't know what to do because he never thought that people like him still existed in this world. So the brunet settled for just watching the newcomer from a distance to see what developed.

But when a pack of wolves started chasing Naruto around Kiba panicked because he couldn't let the only other human around disappear that quickly. It was then that the brunet decided to intervene and protect the blonde from nature's grasp. And the rest, as they say, was history.

Now Kiba had a stable home, 3 meals per day that he didn't have to work for, a nice haircut, clothes to keep him warm, and most importantly he had people constantly around him. Kiba couldn't even begin to explain how frighten he was the first time Naruto left him alone in the house to go to the gym. The brunet virtually destroyed the inside of the apartment trying to look for an escape because he wanted to go find the blonde. Kiba was so relieved when Naruto came back that practically flung himself on the blond not caring at all to acknowledge the redhead that accompanied Naruto home.

Ever since then more and more people started showing up for visits and Kiba was never left alone again. To Kiba these were the memories worth retaining and he owed it all to Naruto. There was nothing more that the brunet wanted to do than to let the blond know how he felt, and today seemed like the perfect day to make it happen.

Hinata's schooling yesterday made him feel more prepared and confident about his ability to express his thoughts in words. The fact that no one stopped by today was also ideal because now he could get Naruto's full attention without unnecessary distractions. But it was Naruto's recent habit of locking himself in his room at night right after giving Kiba his daily supplements what pushed the brunet to act now rather than later. After all he didn't know when he might get another opportunity to do so.

And so, with his mind set on his goal, Kiba leaped toward Naruto. In an effort to get the blonde's attention, Kiba tried to gently pry Naruto's hands off his face but that only resulted in making the whiskered male jolt away into a standing position.

"Whaaa! Oh, sorry Kiba" said Naruto with a hand on his chest taking calming breaths to regain his composure. "I wasn't paying attention so you kinda scared me there."

Noticing how Kiba kept staring with a confused expression on his face, Naruto characteristically decided to defuse the awkwardness by grinning like and idiot and laughing it off. _'Darn I need stop being so jumpy around him or he is going to think I'm insane.'_

"Naruto" the brunet called but Naruto was too busy with his own thoughts that Kiba failed to get the blonde's attention. Moving closer and standing up as well, Kiba poked Naruto's right cheek in another effort to catch his attention but again it only made the blond jerked away in surprise.

Yet this time Naruto tripped on the books he carelessly left on the floor and fell on his butt. "Oww" he whined while rubbing his rear. "That definitely hurt."

Kiba crouched in front of him, mildly intrigued by Naruto's reaction to his touch, and waved a hand to get the blonde's attention. "Naruto okay?"

The brunet had seen how Naruto would ask Hinata a similar question everytime the girl's face turned red and acted silly, so Kiba thought the situation called for the same question now that Naruto was acting weirder than usual.

Looking up Naruto's blue eyes connected with Kiba's dark ones. "Umm…" started the blond but couldn't finish as he became lost in the brunet's unfaltering gaze. Kiba was really leaning too close for comfort so Naruto gently pushed the other away by the shoulder to create more distance between them before averting his eyes to the floor in search of his next course of action.

'_Alright Naruto, time to pull yourself together. You're a 19 year old young adult, no longer a hormonal kid, meaning you are in control of your emotions. So forget your fears, stop thinking with your penis, and use your freaking head already. So… what can I do to make things right again? Ah, got it!'_

Turning to face again an even more confused looking Kiba, Naruto grinned as he made his proposal. "Hey buddy, how about we workout together?"

When Kiba tilted his head to the side Naruto continued. "Yeah I think that's a great idea! After all you got to exercise if you want to stay strong and manly like me!" he joked while adding mentally that it was also a good way to keep his mind off things. "Come on, I'll show you what I do at the Gym."

That last sentence was enough to hook Kiba in. He always wondered what it was that Naruto did when he was gone. Plus Kiba was never against the idea of doing something together with Naruto. And that's how they spent the next two hours. With Naruto showing Kiba his exercise routine and making sure the brunet understood exactly what they were for and how to do them properly. Sure the blond didn't have a whole lot of equipment in his home but he made due with the few weights he had around.

The two really enjoyed themselves through it all and it showed. Naruto didn't know how much he missed having a training body since Lee's departure and he was sure he found a good replacement in the brunet. Kiba on the other hand was only focused on matching Naruto in whatever set he did that he almost completely forgot that he wanted to talk with his blond fellow.

By the end of it both were so exhausted, red and sweaty that Kiba ended up taking his shirt off because he couldn't stand the heat. Tired and not thinking much of it Naruto did the same hoping that it would help him cool off.

That was the first time ever Kiba saw Naruto in his half naked glory that he became mesmerize by the rise and drop of Naruto's chest. The brunet couldn't help his honest curiosity of wanting to compare his body to the blonde's so he let his eyes shamelessly wander between the both of them secretly liking the similarities. Naruto took notice of Kiba's prying eyes and immediately felt unnerved by it. So in an effort to make a swift retreat Naruto tried to excuse himself by saying he needed a shower.

It was then that Kiba remembered that he still had something he wanted to tell Naruto so he grabbed the blond by the wrist trying to make him stay. Uncertainty ran through Kiba's mind when Naruto roughly jerked his hand away and ignored the brunet's call for him to stay. Seeing his chance walking away Kiba panicked and ended up pouncing on Naruto in an effort to make him stop and listen. The whiskered male felled face-up on the floor with the tattooed one landing on all four on top of him.

With his space invaded and surprised because Kiba hadn't done that in a long time, Naruto tried to calm his fight or flight instincts by reminding himself that Kiba had done this before and he'd been okay with it so now shouldn't be any different. Unfortunately the blond was failing miserably at it. That was until Kiba finally got the nerve to speak.

"Thank you" was all he said. Surprisingly enough that was all that was needed to quell Naruto's struggling mind. Blue eyes watched Kiba with strange interest as he struggled to find his next words. "Naruto save Kiba. Naruto take Kiba home. Kiba happy."

And it was all true. If Naruto hadn't appeared that night Kiba would had probably stayed out in the rain all night, possibly getting a cold. That would had prevented him from catching food, consequently making him starve and become too weak to fend off his predators. Worst case scenario Kiba would have already been dead without ever experiencing the sweeter side of life. There was so much more Kiba wanted to say to Naruto that was still beyond his ability to express. He hated not being able to get all of it off his chest because of his lack of communication skills.

But for now nothing would make him happier than for Naruto to understand that Kiba was overjoyed and grateful to be here. It was an intense emotion he was hoping his gaze alone could convey to the blond.

Naruto's muscles lost its tension after hearing Kiba's words. Now the blonde felt sorta terrible for the apprehension he had shown toward Kiba. He should have known that the brunet held no malice or ill intentions in his actions. The guy had been without freaking human contact his whole conscious life for Pete's sake! Naruto was again reminded that inside Kiba's grown body laid a mind of childlike innocence.

"You're welcome" answered Naruto with what he hope was an assuring smile. Apparently it was the right thing to do because Kiba instantly returned it with a wide smile of his own. Both relaxed and Naruto started to feel a warm feeling growing inside of him because of Kiba's recent confession. Naruto didn't know why it gave him joy to know that Kiba was happy to be here with him but it just did.

All seemed to be going well up until Kiba relaxed a little too much and let his weight drop a little. He ended up accidentally seating on a certain area below Naruto's waist making the blonde bolt almost immediately a few feet away from Kiba. The brunet whined his complains as he fell backwards on the floor because of Naruto's unexpected leap.

Naruto gave a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure that the brunet was okay before running off to the bathroom. Once inside Naruto locked the door and tried to stop the immense shaking of his body. It seemed that no matter how much the blonde wanted to believe in Kiba, his past demons still prevented him from getting comfortable with the idea of letting other people get close to him. Naruto had a trust issue, that was no lie; but no one knew just how deep those fears were.

Kiba on the meantime layed perfectly still in his place on the floor trying for the life of him to figure out what the heck did he do wrong now. One second Naruto was all smiles and the next he looked totally frighten. Then all of the sudden what Sakura said two weeks ago replayed in his mind. Something about not getting attached to Naruto or else he'll grow frustrated and miserable. Kiba still didn't know what she meant by it but somehow he feared that he was about to find out.

* * *

**A/N:** _Kiba is finally getting more talkative but as you and I well know that wasn't nearly enough. In case you are wondering what is it about Naruto that made him be on the edge all the time, fret not because Naruto's backstory will be revealed in the next chapter (sort of). You'll see what I mean soon enough XD. Hope you enjoyed reading!_


	8. Sakura Laments

**A/N:** _I got a little carried away with this chapter and it turned out longer than my usual. Don't worry; I don't plan to make a habit out of it._

**Disclaimer: **You know, I went through a trip in a rain forest the other day. Unluckily I wasn't able to find my own Kiba. Oh and by the way I do not own Naruto.

**Warning:** _Don't get the wrong idea about the title. This is NOT a NaruSaku._

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Sakura Laments**

The next morning had perfect weather, ideal for a stroll in the park between lovers. If said significant other were nonexistent then a pleasant walk with a friend you shared history with would suffice. Sadly not everyone shared that notion and that is why we found two of our favorite characters complaining to each other like an old married couple as they climbed the flight of stairs.

"Owie, these bags are too heavy and my arms are sore" whined the boy as he struggled to keep up with the girl's pace. "Remind me again why it is that I'm the one who has to carry all of this."

The girl in question clenched and unclenched her fist as she resisted the urge to pound her male companion for the repetitive question. Finding her restrain she turned around to answer him in her most over-sweeten tone of voice.

"Because, Naruto, it is not only polite for men to offer to do the heavy lifting for women but _**all of this just so happen to be your groceries to begin with!**_ Besides, one of us needs a free hand to open the door to your apartment so it might as well be me." She reasoned.

"I already get that Sakura but my shoulders hurt and my back is killing me" continued to complain Naruto as he worked on his best pout that the girl in question ignored in its entirety. Then Naruto's face suddenly brighten as an idea occurred to him. "Hey Sakura, don't you have a lotion or something to help with muscle pain? I've been achy all morning."

"Well that's what you get for over exercising everyday!" spat back the pinkette completely disregarding his request in favor of her rant. "I mean I told you hundreds of times already to stop tiring your body out like that. It's bad for you! But nooo, no one ever listens to the medic."

"So…" Naruto said furrowing his eyebrows, "Is that a yes or a no because I could really use some right about now."

"Rrrrr" Sakura sighed in defeat because she knew that her advice fell to deaf ears. "I'll see what I can bring you next time I pay you a visit. But you better not come bitching to me when you provoke yourself a muscular spasm." She scolded while looking at Naruto in the eyes to make sure he understood her warning,

The blond just gave her his brightest smile in return which made the pinkette roll her eyes and continue moving forward. Naruto knew perfectly well that Sakura only wanted to help because she cared but they were talking about his body and no one knew his limits better than Naruto himself.

So even though he appreciated her worry, he would still do things in his own way. In the end you could only depend on yourself. That just the way he was. How life made him.

Once they made it to Naruto's floor, Sakura rushed to his door and opened it up for him to pass.

"My hero" Naruto joked as he stepped inside.

"And you best not forget it" Sakura joked back before silently adding "So don't ever hesitate to call on me for help."

Making their way to the kitchen, and bypassing Ino and Kiba who were engrossed in a movie, they made to put the stuff away in their respectful stations. Naruto accidentally knocked the jar of mayonnaise down where it fell and shattered on the floor pouring out all its contents.

"Ahhh, whoops?" was all he offered as an excuse.

Sakura slapped her forehead in exasperation before not so gently shoving Naruto out of the kitchen before he could do any more damage. She told him she would take care of the rest.

Suddenly left with nothing to do, Naruto went to the living room to see what Ino and Kiba were up to. When he entered the room both gave him a slight wave before going back to stare at whatever they were watching in the television.

The whiskered male noticed a stack of DVDs on the coffee table and picked up a few out of curiosity.

"Let's see" he said as he read the titles aloud. "Jerry McGuire, The Notebook, The Wedding Planer? Tsk, you can't be serious."

Ino quickly got annoyed because she never like being 'tsk' at, and wasted no time at pointing it out. "What you got a problem with my selections, Whiskers?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the nickname and didn't hesitate in making a comeback of his own. "As a matter of fact I do! Why is it that the only films you are showing Kiba are chick flicks? He's a guy if you haven't noticed." he oh so cleverly pointed out.

That only made Ino shake her head disapprovingly at the other blond in the room. "Naruto, Naruto, Naruto. Shows how little you think things over. Would you have preferred we watch Starwars? 300? The Wild Wild West?" she asked with that belittling smile of hers that Naruto quickly grew to hate.

A little put off that Naruto didn't validate her question with an answer but not showing it, Ino continued to rectify her choice. "I'm trying to show Kiba how the real outside world works, not just some fantasy. And since the pink harpy currently in the kitchen prohibited me from giving him real life experience I had to make due with this." She finished pointing at the TV.

The explanation did made sense to Naruto but he didn't want to give Ino the satisfaction of a win by coinciding defeat. So instead he brushed it off with a snide comment of his own. "Whatever, I still think that you're getting waaaay too involved."

He inwardly congratulated himself at her momentary deflated look but he failed to consider that Ino might come up with other ways to retaliate beside the direct approach. That's why he raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw the female whispering to Kiba's ear.

The brunet nodded at whatever Ino said, stood up and made his way toward Naruto. Once Kiba was in front of Naruto, he took the blonde's hands in his own and spoke his words with a perfectly straight face. "You complete me."

Naruto mouthed a silent "what?" looking more baffled than ever. Not knowing what he was supposed to do next, Kiba turned his head to Ino waiting for more of her direction. The girl motioned with her hands for Kiba to say the other thing she had instructed so the brunet nodded and turned his face back to Naruto again before pronouncing a surprisingly convincing. "I love you"

As an immediate effect Naruto's body went rigid at those little words and he became momentarily paralyzed. Kiba tilted his head at Naruto's lack of reaction and turned his head back to Ino for further instructions. It was then that Sakura entered the room again and Ino burst out laughing.

"Honestly Ino can you get any more childish?" scolded the pinkette as she observed the scene. "You should know better than to toy with Kiba like that."

"Oh stop being such a killjoy Sakura" answered Ino while laughing some more. "And besides, he had it coming" she said referring to Naruto.

The boy in question, thanks to all the commotion around him, came back to Earth and noticed that Kiba was still holing his hands. Naruto immediately snatched his hands away while he fought to suppress a blush. Unfortunately for him the action did not go unnoticed by Ino who had a perfect view of his face.

Sakura on the other hand noticed an uncomfortable air building up and decided to take charge by issuing a 'seize and desist' and dragging Ino away from the scene.

The pinkette told her roommate that they were leaving before waving her goodbye at Kiba and offering a "Take care" to Naruto as she headed to the door.

Ino reluctantly complied by getting up from the couch, giving a hug goodbye to Kiba, and offering up a dejected "Later Whiskers" to Naruto before following after Sakura.

Kiba waved his hand enthusiastically at the ponytailed female he had grown to like over a short period of time until he heard the 'click' of the door signaling their departure.

Naruto muttered "Traitor" to Kiba before heading to the kitchen to make some snacks leaving the brunet with his mouth open wondering what the hell did he do wrong now?

-_-_-_-_(Outside)-_-_-_-_

As both girls made their way down the stairs, Ino found herself still giggling at the events that played out just some moments ago. "That was a fun visit; don't you think Billboard-Brow?"

Sakura rolled hers eyes. "Says you Ino-Pig. I'm the one who had to do the hard work while you slouched about in a comfy couch all morning."

"Yeah, but you know-" replied Ino conveniently overlooking Sakura's allegation, "I think Kiba might have a thing for Naruto."

"Huh?" asked the pinkette walking closer to the other girl to get better hearing. "What makes you say that?"

"Well every time I try to talk to him all that ever comes up is Naruto's name."

That statement made Sakura roll her eyes again. "Well _**duh**_, he lives with the guy 24/7! I say it's expected for his choice of topics to be _**that**_ limited. Give him time, I'm sure he'll branch out eventually."

"I guess you're right" answered Ino as she examined her fingernails. "But he is definitely gay though."

That just made Sakura raise one eyebrow incredulously at Ino. "And what, pray tell, made you reach that conclusion?"

"Umm well…" Ino trailed off temporarily to rethink how to word her sentence in a way that won't make Sakura jump on her. "I kinda sat on his lap during a heated part in _**The Notebook**_ to see if I could get a reaction from little Kiba but nothing"

Ino cringed when Sakura exploded. "Wait, backtrack two seconds, WHAT??? Ino! How could you- No better yet, what the fuck possessed you to do something like that?!"

"Relax Forehead-Girl, nothing happened." she said raising her hands in mock surrender. "I didn't even get his breath to hitch or his pulse to quicken. He practically looked right passed me and continued watching the movie like nothing happened."

Sakura sighed in relief and almost laughed at the disappointment she caught in Ino's tone. "Whatever, I'm sure you're insinuating too much out of nothing again. Kiba probably has never seen a vagina his whole life, much less knows what sex is. He's still as innocent as he is ever going to get."

"Innocent huh? Teehee, then all he needs is a little corrupting." said Ino with a mischievous smile working its way on her features. Unfortunately for her, Sakura could easily read her and was on her heels before an evil plot could even surface.

"Whatever you are thinking, drop it. Naruto doesn't need anymore trouble."

"Funsucker" Ino muttered dejectedly under her breath. But ever the personality, she was quick pick up her own mood when another topic surfaced. "Hey speaking of Naruto, you should have seen the face he made when Kiba and I pulled that prank on him. It was priceless!"

"I'll say this again one last time Ino" warned Sakura in her no nonsense way. "Stop trying to cause trouble for Naruto. I don't think he appreciates you pulling those kinds of pranks."

"Don't know" said Ino remembering Naruto's blush, "I think he secretly liked it."

"Please" Sakura retorted demeaning Ino's statement. "Naruto is the last person you should worry about jumping into a relationship."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" replied Ino giddily seeming unconvinced.

Sakura wasn't sure she liked what Ino was implying nor the direction the conversation suddenly took into Naruto's lovelife. So the pinkette decided to divert away Ino's attention in the only way she knew how. By bringing up the beauty pageant.

"Hey did you hear the news about the one who won the crown last year? Haku was it? I almost didn't believe it myself."

"Did I?! Of course I did! Those BASTARDS gave away MY crown to a MAN! I mean how the hell did they not see it before?! Foreign looks my ass, at least I was a woman!!!"

Needless to say, Sakura effectively managed to make Ino drop the Naruto subject by setting Ino off into one of her long rants about how she was wronged by the judges.

Yet even though Sakura was happy about the change of subject, she became somewhat troubled. Ino had unknowingly opened up a past wound in Sakura and the pinkette was left with lots to think about.

It was true when she said that Naruto would be the last person to jump into a relationship. There was no doubt in Sakura's mind about it. But what troubled her was that the reasons behind it still escaped her.

She liked to think she had a grasp on it but in reality she felt like a worthless bystander. It was a weight on her shoulders she'd been carrying for almost four years now.

-_-_-_-(3 ½ Years Ago)_-_-_-_

_To her it all started a week after her sixteen's birthday in the first month of spring. Sakura Haruno had always been an exceptional woman with a brilliant mind and fair beauty. Extraordinarily enough she already had her whole future planned out._

_She would become a pediatrician, even though she wasn't particularly fond of children, in order to supply herself the essentials. These were clothes of the latest fashion, beauty products, the occasional trip to the spa, and regular appointments with her personal nutritionist._

_I know what you're thinking. Why would a girl of such talent not strive to become a doctor of a higher degree? And how could she keep such an expensive lifestyle with such a meager salary? Well, that was where her other life goal came into play._

_You see she planned to marry her very handsome and rich classmate Sasuke Uchiha. Then her whole life would be covered. Becoming a doctor was just something her parents respected and wouldn't bother her no matter which field she picked._

_By being a pediatrician Sakura could keep herself busy during the morning, send the brats packing during the afternoon, and make herself pretty for Sasuke to swipe her away during the night with trips to 5 stars restaurants, a ball, the theater, a private island, etc._

_There was just one problem with her equation and it was that the Uchiha didn't pay her or any other girl any attention. But she didn't worry because she had an ace up her sleeve, something that the other girls didn't, and it was none other than her childhood friend Naruto Uzumaki._

_Sasuke always seemed fond of Naruto's company and Naruto practically adored Sakura's existence. The pinkette could be considered many things but a considerate person was not one of them. That's why she had no qualms about using Naruto's friendship to her favor._

_She'd known Naruto since elementary because they went to the same prestigious private school. But unlike the rest of the students he didn't really fit in because he was from a *cough*foster home*cough* so he couldn't afford much. She heard his real parents died when he was five or something._

_No one really wanted to be associated with him. And worst, some even treated him like a charity case. Naruto didn't care for nobody's pity so he made an effort of not getting acquainted with anyone except for Sakura who treated him just as badly as she treated everyone else._

_She never made a big deal about where he was from so naturally Naruto gravitated more towards her. Sakura didn't really mind having the blond follow her around since Naruto practically did anything she told him to do. She rather enjoyed having someone to boss around. Plus he had a pretty face so he wasn't bad company by her standards. And that's how their strange friendship bloomed._

_Incase you're wondering, Hinata was also one of their classmates. But even though she saw Naruto as her equal and not someone who was beneath her, Hinata was so quiet and timid that Naruto never noticed her._

_It was in the first year of high school that Sasuke entered the picture and just like that every girl in school fell in love with the dark prince. He always walked with a mysterious air around him and didn't seem particularly interested in anything._

_One thing however that people where quick to learn about him was that he had a strange fascination with sharp and pointy objects, preferably his 5 inch knife. Maybe blood too but no one knew for sure. All the girls cared about was that it added to his bad boy image and made him even hotter in their eyes._

_The problem was that Sasuke was a loner and didn't like to hang around with others, kinda like Naruto. Maybe that was the reason both of them connected. To be perfectly honest, Sakura didn't really give a damn about the why at the moment. All she cared about was of how she could use it to her advantage._

_Little by little she was able to worm herself into Sasuke's daily life by using Naruto as a pretext. To everyone on the outside they seemed like a very tight knit group and Sakura openly basked in the envy she saw in other girls' eyes._

_But now that she was sixteen she decided that it was about high time all her efforts paid off, and so a week later she confessed her feelings to the Uchiha. Destroyed couldn't even begin to describe how she felt when he nonchalantly turned her down without a second thought. He didn't even have the decency to pretend to consider her._

_That day she locked herself in her room and cried herself to sleep. All that hard work for nothing. What went wrong she asked herself. She was smart, pretty, athletic, classy when appropriate and everything a boy should want! The only thing she was thankful for was that no one witnessed the rejection so she still had her dignity intact. So she pretended it never happened._

_Barely three days later she got the surprise of her lifetime when Naruto asked her out for a private talk. It was the day he came out to her about his sexuality by telling her he wasn't into girls. Sakura didn't know how to react then, that is until he told her that he was secretly dating Sasuke. Then she knew exactly who to blame for the rejection she received earlier._

_There are many things Sakura regretted doing in her life. Baiting a bulldog, kissing Sai, punching a police officer, etc., but none of that compared to this. The one thing she wished she could take back was the time she slapped Naruto hard across the cheek and told him that she hated him and that she wished he'd never been born._

_She hurt him badly that day in more ways that she could imagine. But at the time she didn't care because she was too revolved around her own drama. Naruto didn't attend school the next day which suited her just fine because she was still mad at him._

_Her irrational fury died down after a week but now she was becoming worried by the fact that Naruto hadn't return to school yet. Deciding it was her duty to berate him for skipping classes; Sakura stopped by his house that day and asked for him… only he wasn't there._

_Apparently the day Sakura had so brutally turned her back on him Naruto had already tried his luck with his foster parents. They were so disgusted by it that they threaten to kick him out of the house if he didn't agree to seek professional therapy to heal him from his 'illness'. Devastated Naruto sought out Sakura in desperate hopes that at least she would accept him for what he was. And we all know how that turned out. _

_Sakura wondered how she missed the apprehension and sorrow in Naruto's voice when he told her his secret. She always considered herself a perceptive person, that's why it bothered her that she failed to notice Naruto's pleading eyes as he sought comfort in his only friend._

_Needless to say that in the end Naruto ran away that very night. It was then that Sakura remembered that she hadn't seen Sasuke the whole week either. Putting two and two together Sakura could only reach one conclusion. They eloped. Now she was left without her inner circle of friends. But that was okay she thought; she didn't need them._

_But it really wasn't okay. Now that she didn't have her comfort zone in Naruto she began to notice that her other so-called friends didn't really tolerate her. They were nice and all during school hours but passed it they didn't want anything to do with her and her bitchy personality._

_That was a real eye-opener for Sakura. It seemed that after all these years only Naruto was able and willing to put up with her attitude. And all he asked in return was for the pinkette to accept him for him. It was then that Sakura realized how much she had failed him._

_She finished the semester faking that she was unaffected by it all when in reality she felt horrible as a person, and more importantly, lost. All her life she had taken things for granted and used people like ploys in her schemes. Now she was paying for it all. Her dreams didn't matter anymore and she was left to woe in her own misery alone._

_It was during her summer vacation when she received the fateful call from the hospital that turned her life around. They requested for her to come over to identify a certain patient they were treating in the emergency room. They said that he had no identification on him and that all he had was a cell phone with only her name on his contact list._

_She didn't think twice about taking her mother car keys without her permission and speeding to the hospital. Sakura already feared she knew of whom they were speaking of._

_Her suspicions proved to be true the moment she entered the hospital and the nurse informed her that they were treating a teenage boy of blonde hair. Sakura was told that the boy was found in the back alley of a hotel by one of its employees._

_The pinkette was about to ask if they found another boy her age with black hair but said question died in her throat when they told her that her blond friend was found bleeding with deep cuts on his back and his face. Said wounds, she was told, were inflicted with what appeared to be a 5 inch knife._

_A __**knife**__! Her mind practically screamed out Sasuke's name even though her heart protested against it. But deep down in her gut Sakura knew that there was no other explanation. Even she, an avid fangirl, could admit that Sasuke wasn't exactly right in the head._

_As Sakura waited for them to give her the okay to go see the boy she suspected to be Naruto, her brain returned to the fact that she was the only name the blond had in his deactivated phone. It was then she understood that Naruto did not only lack any other friends but now he had no home to return to._

_In other words Sakura was the closest thing to a family he had left even though the pinkette was sure she wasn't worth such consideration. Then she remembered how Naruto often stated that he could never hate her no matter what. Sakura wasn't sure if she could hold back her tears any longer. She knew she didn't deserve to have such a friend._

_Once the doctors gave her the green light to see her friend she wasn't so sure if she could face him. But nonetheless she made her way to his room and slowly opened his door._

_The first thing she saw was a figure sitting up and staring dead ahead at the wall in front of him. Most of his face and upper body were wrapped in bandages. But when the blond turned his head to face his visitor, Sakura let out the air she didn't realize she was holding as she saw the blue eyes that were distinctly of her friend Naruto._

_Upon recognizing his visitor, Naruto looked away from her and spoke with the most vulnerable sounding voice she had ever heard from him. He apologized because he no longer had a pretty face meaning that he could no longer be considered good company because of it._

_Frankly that was all it took for Sakura to lose what little self control she had left. She moved so fast that Naruto didn't notice how close she was until the pinkette attached herself to his waist and broke down crying right there and then._

_Naruto could feel how Sakura's body trembled as she sobbed in his chest and continuously begged for his forgiveness and repeatedly made promises to be a better friend to him. Shock was too small of a word to describe what Naruto was experiencing. But the moment he got over it he also started to cry from happiness as he hugged her back like if she was a dream he never wanted to let go of._

_Ever since then she changed for the better. She rethought her whole life and made more matured real life goals for herself. Now she planned on becoming a diagnostician with two specializations in infectious diseases and nephrology. And keeping true to her word she did everything in her power to be there for Naruto from then on. All her life Naruto had supported her and now it was her time to do the same for him._

_It wasn't that hard for Sakura to convince her parents to take Naruto in. She was still their little princess after all. And with help of one of their teachers, Iruka, who vouched for Naruto, the blond took summer studies to complete what he missed during his escapade so Naruto wouldn't be held back. Sakura even convinced her parents to pay for the rest of Naruto's high school career which they did because they were happy to see that Sakura for once was doing something without selfish reasons and they wanted to keep feeding that fire._

_But Naruto didn't feel right about letting other people take care of him because he didn't want to be a burden. So he got a part-time job to help pay for his stuff and once he turned eighteen he got his own little apartment and moved out of Sakura's home. Upon graduation the pinkette really had to work hard to convince Naruto to further his studies and go to college. _

_She basically did all his paperwork and applied him to her same university of choice to make sure that he did what she thought was best for him. Even though Naruto whined and complained the entire time about having to do excess work and having to apply for a student loan, he still went along with it because even then he found it hard to deny Sakura anything._

_Satisfied with the results Sakura thought it would only be appropriate for her to move out of her house as well in order to have some independence (even though her parents still paid her bills) and ended up rooming with a girl her age in a apartment conveniently close to Naruto's. That's how she met Ino. They ended up clicking with each other on the spot and became girl pals for life ever since._

_Yet even though Sakura's and Naruto's professional/academic/economic life appeared to be on the right path, it was their personal life the thing they weren't able to fix. You see ever since that first time Sakura reencounter with the blond at the hospital, Naruto had never been the same._

_All of the sudden he was impossibly cheery all the time like if he didn't have a care in the world. When they removed the bandages from his face and told him that not even the most expensive surgery could completely remove his scars, Naruto simply laughed and joked that at least they were symmetrical. It was the first time Sakura seen Naruto laughed something off instead of facing it. Sadly it wouldn't be last._

_When they went back to school he suddenly started to talk with everyone and basically befriended anything that moved. Needless to say that Hinata was a very happy camper by then. At first Sakura thought it was an improvement, but then she noticed that he didn't really get close with anyone nor shared details about himself. That's when Sakura discovered that Naruto was just acting like he was happy because he didn't want anyone to pity him. He might have fooled everyone with his fake smiles but not Sakura._

_He didn't open up to no one, not even her who was supposed to be his closest friend. Yet Sakura found that she didn't really need for him to tell her anything because she could read his emotions well and knew when he was feeling upset and when he needed her company. Naruto noticed her ability too and smiled because now he knew that they had a stronger bond than he had suspected._

_Naruto's sudden want to get into perfect physical shape and his need to learn any and every method of self-defense also spoke volumes to Sakura. She could only imaging what had happened in the expand of two months that Naruto ran away with Sasuke that made the blond so set on getting stronger so he could defend himself better in the future._

_Sasuke, that was possibly the only thing Naruto ever had refused to talk about with her no matter what she tried. So she never got to find out what happened between them and it tore her apart to not know. She needed to find out because she couldn't take the uncertainty of not knowing if the hate she felt toward Sasuke was justified or not. _

_But somehow, the way Naruto's body would shiver every time someone mentioned the Uchiha, told her everything she needed to know. So from then on she never brought up the subject of Sasuke in front of Naruto ever again._

_After high school was over Naruto joined a nearby gym. There he met Rock Lee who immediately got impressed by Naruto's 'youthful' dedication to body fitness that he loudly proclaimed him as his new training buddy. It was an arrangement that Naruto found impossible to get out off since Lee would always seek him out if Naruto didn't show. Eventually Naruto got accustomed to it and found himself his first real friend besides Sakura._

_Along with Lee came TenTen. She was more of and acquaintance than a friend to Naruto, but she always invited him to sports games so he could help keep Lee busy, so Naruto became at ease around her too. Lee and TenTen were friends with Neji who happened to be Hinata's cousin. And once Hinata caught wing of it she used it at an excuse to get closer to Naruto. Because the blonde knew her from school Naruto befriended Hinata in an instant and welcomed her to his close circle of friends._

_Sakura wasn't sure how Gaara came in the picture though. She clearly remembered Naruto and Gaara insulting each other when they met in their first day at the university and somehow that ended up in a friendship. She guessed it was because they took the same courses since they both planned to be the same thing but she got a feeling that it was more than that._

_Yet the thing that concerned Sakura the most was that Naruto never did come clean about his sexuality to anyone else. Even though he let people get close to him Naruto didn't really trust anybody and it hurt Sakura to think that maybe part of it was her fault. She involuntarily witnessed many times how Naruto pretended not to notice when people were flirting with him. Sakura was also sure that he played dumb to Hinata's feelings because he didn't want to hurt her by telling her that he could never be into her._

_Ever since Sasuke, Naruto had not entered any other relationships nor had been willing too. Sakura was beginning to believe that Naruto's trust issues ran so deep that he had already resigned to live the rest of his life in solitude. And that's the one thing Sakura wanted to prevent._

_Sakura would never be able to move on with her life until she was sure that Naruto was truly happy with his. The blond needed to find someone he could open up to. And even though she wished it be to her, she knew better than to get her hopes up. She had already failed him once and she still felt like she hadn't made up for it yet._

_But then her mind trailed off to Ino and her implication that Naruto might like Kiba. Now that Sakura thought about it the brunet was the first person ever that Naruto sought out as a friend instead of the other way around. He hadn't done that since Sasuke happened. At the beginning Sakura told Kiba not to get too close to Naruto because she feared that the blonde would push the other away. But if it was the other way around then…_

_No, Sakura didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing. Naruto was just trying to be nice because he felt bad for Kiba. But then again, if even the most remote chance existed that Naruto might find his significant other in Kiba; wouldn't it be a risk worth taking? Kiba was innocent and she doubted he would ever do anything to consciously harm his savior. So maybe the person Naruto could open up to wasn't so far away. But, was Kiba even gay?_

_With Kiba's almost nonexistent understanding of the social world Sakura feared that it might be a long time before she gets the answers to her questions. She just hoped that Naruto wouldn't push Kiba away before she got her answer though._

-_-_-_(Back to the Present)-_-_-_-

Ino noticed that Sakura wasn't paying her any attention and was instead spacing out. But Ino, unlike many in her place would have, didn't let it bother her. If Sakura was getting bored with Ino talking about herself then it didn't matter. After all, the one thing Ino enjoyed more than talking about herself was talking about others. And this time was no exception.

"So" Ino said nudging Sakura to get her attention, "How was your date yesterday with the beach boy? Anything fun happened that I should know about?"

That got Sakura back from LaLa land. The pinkette eyed the gossipist beside her warily before deciding it was better to tell her now than to let the blonde find out by other means later.

"Awful, I don't even want to think about it" answered Sakura sighing and dropping her shoulders. "I mean what kind of guy takes a girl to the Aquarium on their first date?"

"Oh come on give him another chance" said Ino waving her hand dismissing the question. "So the guy likes his H2O a little more than the rest, at least he has a killer beach body." pointed out the blonde like if that made everything better.

"Pft, so what if he does? Looks aren't the only important thing Ino. He's just, I don't know, too silly for my taste." replied the pinkette.

"Oh please Sakura you are just being a prude. Learn to have fun for once and live a little."

"I am not a prude!" said Sakura defending herself before looking at Ino up and down and delivering her blow. "I just don't like to whore myself out at every available handsome face I meet."

"Excuse me?!" scoffed Ino, "What exactly are you implying Forehead-Girl? Just because I like to flirt doesn't mean I let guys hit what my momma gave me!"

"Well you could have fooled me Ino-Pig!" exclaimed Sakura as she got in the driver seat of her car.

"At least I don't have to wear makeup to conceal those huge bags you have under your eyes!" countered the blonde as she got in the passenger seat.

"Pig!"

"Flat-chest!

"Whore!"

"Prude!"

And so the two best-friends-forever continued their playful banter till they got to their home. Playful because they only fought just to pass the time more than anything else.

-_-_-(Later that day at midnight)_-_-_

Naruto had already locked himself in his room and gone to sleep quite some time ago but Kiba still laid awake in his makeshift bed. The brunet was absentmindedly playing with his cushion as he recited to himself his favorite lines from the movies he saw with Ino that morning.

He thought it would be good practice and a way to expand his vocabulary. He would still need to ask Hinata what some of those words meant though but he wasn't too worried. Hinata was a person who was passionate about helping so he knew he'll get his answers.

But there was one particular line that wouldn't leave his head. It's the one he heard at the end of every movie. "I love you" he mouthed. He liked the sentence but felt that it needed something extra to be perfect.

It was also the line that made Naruto freeze when he said it to him. Thinking of the blonde, Kiba lifted himself from the couch to stare at Naruto's door. After some pondering the brunet flopped back into his bed. "Naruto" he whispered and after giving it a little more thought Kiba knew how to complete his sentence.

"I love you Naruto" he said trying it out for the first time and smiling because he liked the sound of it. "Naruto, I love you."

And with that he closed his eyes and fell into peaceful slumber fully pleased with his accomplishments.

* * *

**A/N:** _Writing this chapter mentally drained me. But I finally got to shed some light into Naruto's past! Remember, it was all explained with Sakura's point of view. Meaning that there are details in Naruto's past that are still to be uncovered. By the way I been dropping hints all around of who Sakura's potential love interest might be and I was wondering if by now some of you can figure out which character I'm talking about. Things will get heated in the next chapter between Kiba and Naruto so be sure to stay tuned so for that! Let me know what you think XD_


	9. Corrupted Innocence

**A/N:** _Sorry for the wait! I was just out doing some spontaneous family bonding ^^_

**A/N 2:** _Lol, the guesses you all did last time when I asked who you thought Sakura's potential love interest was made me smile. Anyways you'll finally get to meet him in the next chapter! _

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto, do you really think I would be here on fanfiction? Get serious.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Corrupted Innocence**

The day found Naruto lazily laying on his sofa watching a rerun on TV while drinking a soda straight from the can. His sofa wasn't exactly comfy but at least it was sturdy. Yet that didn't matter because today he felt chilled and relaxed like he didn't have a care in the world. And frankly it disturbed him to no end.

Normally Naruto wouldn't be able to find time to do this kind of thing, and when he did it certainly didn't last as much like today. It became rather standard for Kiba to be up in Naruto's face demanding his immediate attention whenever the blond evaded him for more than 30 minutes. _'Evaded sounds too harsh, let's say whenever I wanted some me-time instead.'_

The fact that Naruto hadn't seen the brunet in almost two hours was starting to bother him. He was sure that by now Kiba should had wrecked some kind of havoc to get his attention but so far Naruto hadn't heard a peep out of the brunet.

It would have been nice to think that Sakura's hard lessons on manners and self-control were finally sticking to Kiba but the blond knew better than to fool himself with that idea. Heck, even Naruto found it hard to follow the pinkette's notion of proper etiquette.

Kiba only followed what Sakura said whenever she was around. But it was more out of the fear that she would pull his hair again than because of him actually learning anything. And the moment Sakura went out the door Kiba reverted to his old self no matter what other company he had. Naruto didn't really mind that though. What _**did**_ put him somewhat on the edge was that Kiba seemed to take in whatever Ino spouted instead.

Don't get Naruto wrong, he didn't necessarily have anything against the Ino per se but he couldn't help the weird vibe he got whenever she came by for a 'good-hearted' visit. _'Good-hearted my ass!'_

As you know by now, Naruto wasn't exactly the most trusting person meaning that he couldn't ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head that told him that the girl definitely had some ulterior reasons for visiting Kiba. But whatever Ino's reasons were wasn't the case right now.

The fact that Naruto hadn't seen or heard from Kiba for a while now had the blond worried. He knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy the show until he found out what his tattooed housemate was up to. So Naruto reluctantly got up from his _**sturdy**_ sofa and went looking for Kiba.

After much roaming around Naruto found Kiba in the one place he least fathomed the brunet would be at. Inside Naruto's bedroom. There really wasn't anything else for the blond to do but to sigh in surrender.

"I should have guessed that you would be here. Figures that you'd be in the only place that's off-limits to you."

Since the day his blue eyes landed on Kiba it was clear to Naruto that the brunet was a very daring person. It was a personality trait that's been showing up in Kiba more often than not. By adding to that the fact that Kiba was also curious to a fault it should had been no surprise to Naruto that he found Kiba in the only restricted area in his apartment.

Still, Naruto found rather odd that Kiba didn't immediately jump to his side the moment the blond made it known that he entered the room. Kiba's senses were sharper than the average person because of the life he led before meeting Naruto so he should had already been aware that he wasn't the only person in the room anymore. But instead the brunet stayed sitting on the floor with his back facing Naruto and it seemed that all of Kiba's attention was immersed in the thing that he had in his hands.

From his position at the door Naruto couldn't quite see what Kiba had in front of him. The whiskered male would have guessed that Kiba was doing another of Shino's puzzles if it wasn't for the fact that he already saw the brunet finishing it the day before. But it was when Naruto heard the flip of a page that his curiosity truly peaked because he was certain that Kiba couldn't read.

"So, what you got there buddy?" voiced Naruto deciding it was better to ask than to wonder.

"Picture Book" responded Kiba distractedly while turning another page. Naruto was almost going let Kiba off the hook until he remembered that he didn't own any picture books. When the blond questioned Kiba about where he got it from the brunet pointed at Naruto's empty backpack.

'_That's weird'_ thought Naruto. _'I don't remember carrying anything in there except for Prof. Kakashi's perverted books… OH SHIT!!!'_

Naruto instantly scurried his way toward Kiba and by looking over the brunet's shoulder he saw that it was indeed one of Kakashi's adult novels. And to make things worst Kiba was currently viewing a _**VERY**_ graphic image of a man fucking a woman in the Jacuzzi.

The blonde immediately snatched the book away and started to tore and shred the pages to pieces not caring that it was not his to dispose off. After all, if Kakashi spent this long without asking for it back then it meant that the perverted professor had already gotten his hands on another copy of his favorite little orange book.

After Naruto finished ripping the graphic novel to pieces the blond had a victorious smile on his face even though he was panting to catch his breath. That smile faded however when he saw Kiba's puzzled/gaping expression for what the blond had just done. An explanation was clearly in order.

"Naruto" started Kiba playing the question in his head to make sure he asked it correctly, "You okay?"

"Well, I'm…" after pausing for a moment to get his bearings right, Naruto couldn't help scratching the bridge of his nose nervously and giving Kiba a sheepish smile while answering. "I was, exercising?"

Kiba stared at Naruto a little longer not sure how to take the blonde's strange behavior. Then he shrugged it off and went to the main room to finish watching whatever Naruto was seeing on TV.

Once Kiba was out of the picture Naruto slumped his shoulders. _'Okay, so maybe I overreacted a little, but it was for Kiba's best interest. Yep, that's it! I was just being a pal by doing him a favor. Believe it.'_

After managing to convince himself that he only did it to look out for Kiba, the blond went to follow after the brunet. Seeing that Kiba seated himself right in front of his couch and was completely absorbed by the TV, Naruto took it as his opportunity to examine if Kiba's body was at all affected by the images he saw in the book. In other words if he was pitching a tent in his pants for lack of a less vulgar way to say it.

Seeing none Naruto let himself relaxed on his sofa. With a relieved smile adorning his face the blond lost himself in his thoughts. The fact that Kiba didn't get excited by seeing those erotic pictures probably had to do more with the fact that he didn't grow up in a society that tabooed any subject related to sex. Heck, Kiba probably didn't even know what it was!

Because the brunet lived in the wild for so long he saw no difference between being dressed and being naked so that's why those images had no effect on him. Kiba was still refusing to wear underwear for Pete's sake.

Though, Naruto saw it as a good thing because it meant that Kiba had less desire to explore that field. The blond reassured himself that Kiba simply wasn't prepared yet to know about 'intercourse'. And Naruto preferred to keep it that way because it meant that the brunet's innocence would remain intact. That very idea was what helped Naruto suppress and control his still recurrent nightly dreams.

Naruto also made a mental note that if ever the time came for Kiba to learn about these things he would have Sakura tell the birds and bees story to Kiba since doctors had a tendency of saying things in a way that make you not want to do them.

The male with symmetrical scars on his face was huddled out of his thoughts when he heard Kiba calling his name, and Naruto almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed that the brunet was crouching just between his parted legs.

"Shit- I mean crap- No I mean darn it Kiba! You scared the heck out of me."

Kiba simply grinned back at the blond because this was a reaction the tattooed male was more accustomed to getting out of Naruto. Secretly Kiba was really starting to enjoy surprising the blond and making him freak out. Every time he saw Naruto spacing off it sparked Kiba's mischievous side because he found it funny how easy it was to get passed Naruto's guard.

Naruto on the other hand scowled at the glint he saw in Kiba's eye and made another mental note about keeping Ino from being alone with Kiba as much as possible. Her bad influence was no doubt rubbing on Kiba. That woman set this up and was probably off somewhere else laughing hysterically at his dilemma, he was certain of it! And _**no**_, he was _**not **_being a freaking paranoid so shut up!

"Did you want me for something or do you just enjoy seeing me jump" questioned Naruto narrowing his eyes.

Kiba blinked once in remembrance before pointing at the television."Man in teevee say yahu? What yahu?"

"Yahu?" Naruto repeated as he gazed at the TV to see an action movie being played. "Oh, you mean yahoo. That's just something people say when they get excited about stuff or accomplish something. It's like a catchphrase I guess. For example people say I say 'believe it' a lot but I think they're just exaggerating." He finished by waving the topic off.

The brunet rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to understand everything Naruto said which was always a difficult thing to do whenever the blonde used difficult words like 'accomplished' and 'catchphrase'. But all in all Kiba stood up and pumped his fist as he got the general gist of it.

"Kiba learn new word" he declared with fire in his eyes and flashing his pearly whites in a big grin. Then he surprised Naruto by jumping and doing a back-flip while excitedly bellowing the new word. "Yahoooooooo!"

When Kiba landed he looked so pumped and energetic that Naruto couldn't help but to laughed along. "Alright buddy, how about I fix you up with your favorite thing for lunch to celebrate?" asked Naruto referring to his now infamous grilled cheese sandwiches while standing up from his sofa.

"Favorite thing?" asked the tattooed one cluelessly before proudly pointing at himself with his right thumb and proclaiming "Kiba favorite thing is Naruto!"

The blond in return forced his smile to stay plastered on his face but could do nothing against its twitchiness. "Riiiiiight" he humored. "I think I need a bathroom break."

And as Naruto made his quick retreat Kiba was yet again left wondering for the umpteenth time if he said something wrong.

Once in his bathroom Naruto ran his hands roughly through his scalp in exasperation. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why do I always run everytime something like this happens to me?'_ Naruto bit his tongue hard in order to stop the frustrated scream he wanted to let out and started pacing around the room.

'_And why did Kiba have to say something so stupid like that with that stupid adorable smile of his? I can't stand it! Favorite thing my ass, he probably meant favorite thing to toy with!'_ Naruto inwardly snarled but then he started to repeatedly hit the top of his head with his fist for his erratic behavior.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stop thinking like that. Kiba isn't like that and you know it! I'm just overreacting, like always.'_

Naruto stopped in front of his bathroom mirror and gripped the edges of the sink so hard his knuckles were turning white. The blond had his head down refusing to look at himself in the mirror as he tried his best to hold back his frustrated tears.

The blue eyed male was just so damn tired of it all. He really really really wanted it all to end but it just wasn't so simple. Every time he felt like he was letting someone get too close to him this inexplicable fear shot right through his body that made him want to get away.

It hurt. It really did. Naruto knew he had issues but even he didn't realize how deep they were until he forced himself to live with someone else after all those years of being alone. But now that he was living with Kiba it was more than obvious to him how far those issues ran. They were controlling his life and the blond was letting it.

'_Look at me making all this fuss over nothing. Anyone would think that he touched me inappropriately or something with the way I'm reacting and all he did was freaking smile at me for Christ sake! Man I suck.'_

Naruto couldn't help the small smile forming on his lips when he realized how true that little jab at himself was. _'All of this just because Kiba admitted that he likes being around me.'_

Thinking about it calmly gave Naruto a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Then he suddenly started feeling warmth in other certain areas when his treacherous mind decided to throw Naruto a curve ball by replaying uncalled images from his more than friendly dreams with Kiba. _'Fuck, I can't believe I'm getting turned on by this. At a time like this no less.'_

Lifting his head and brushing away some stray blond locks to be able to see himself in the mirror, Naruto noticed that his face was all red and that he indeed was feeling very hot right about now,

'_Okay this proves it. I'm definitely sick.'_ He stated as he felt a familiar rush below his belt that made his pants feel tighter by the second. _'Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to find a little release. God knows I need it.'_

Unbuckling his belt and lowering his pants and boxers low enough to expose his member, Naruto closed his eyes as he began stimulating himself with his left hand. Once erect, his right hand took over pumping his shaft as his other hand traveled under his shirt across his well build abs and chest. Just hearing and feeling the rough movements of his own hand on himself wasn't enough though, so Naruto voluntarily let his brain coaxed him with images of another man pressed against him.

He wanted his made-believed lover to remain faceless but his mind was intent on giving him a face. A face that the blond knew all to well because of the red fangs tattoos the other male had imprinted on his cheeks. Naruto could almost smell the scent of the brunet confined in the cool air of his bathroom. Naruto found that he could picture Kiba clearly; memories of his half nakedness and of the times the other pounced on him helped bring images of the contours of Kiba's body, the size of his sex and the shape of it.

Naruto imagined the broadness of the brunet's fingers and how they might casually grip Naruto's throbbing appendage. His breath hitched as he felt his own cock's aching response at the sensations the images were giving him. He was close, he knew it. The blond only needed a few more pumps before he would be able to cross the finish line.

What happened next was something that made Naruto's body tense and his heart to stop beating. Yet it wasn't from pleasure. No, instead it was from his worst fear being played out right next to him.

"Naruto?" asked a voice in the doorway making the blonde's head immediately turned to its direction only to see as his nightmare became reality. Kiba was standing by the door that Naruto forgot to lock while in his recent internal frenzy. And to make things worst Kiba's dark eyes weren't focused on Naruto's face but instead were perfectly trained on the hard member still between the blonde's fingers. "Will Kiba's do that too?" the brunet asked with a voice that was slowly losing its childlike curiosity.

Kiba, for the first time ever in his life, was blushing with what seemed to be a hint of embarrassment. It seemed that even he could comprehend that this wasn't a typical situation he was walked into.

'_What have I done?'_

Frozen silence ensued as Naruto's terrorized eyes darted everywhere from his hands, to the sink, to Kiba's face, to the roof, to his feet, to Kiba fingering his own growing bulge through the fabric of his pants. Then it happened. Naruto started to hyperventilate.

'_I'm not freaking out, I'm not freaking out, I'm not freaking out; oh for fuck's sake I'M FREAKING OUT!'_

Needless to say, in a record time that would put even Flash to shame, Naruto tugged everything in, fixed his pants, pushed past Kiba hard enough to make the other tumble down, and ran outside.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Ino Yamanaka was about to knock on Naruto's front door when all of the sudden it flung open. She had to jump out of the way or else a fleeing Naruto would have slammed straight into her. Their eyes connected for a brief second before Naruto ran right pass her while shouting over his shoulder that she was in charge of everything until he returned.

To say that she was left utterly confused with what transcended was no joke. Ino was sure that she had gotten under Naruto's skin enough to make him not want to leave her alone with Kiba but now she guessed that she read him wrong. While running her fingers through her hair to make sure that her ponytail was still in place Ino concluded that Naruto was actually more trusting than what she had expected. That or he really was in a rush to get somewhere.

She figured that Naruto would had at least found the huge fuggly bag she was carrying suspicious but he seemed to not even notice it. She even gone to the trouble of making up a foolproof lie to convince him to lend her Kiba but it seemed it was all for nothing. But she didn't let that torment her. It just meant that she would have to save it for another time.

Pleased with the development she let herself in and closed the door behind her. "Too easy" she snickered. Then she looked for the nearest table to place down her heavy bag. Looking around she was delighted to find Kiba stationed right outside the bathroom because it meant that she wouldn't have to look for him. But then she noticed that he was sitting grumpily with his arms crossed and a pout on his face.

Making her way toward him Ino saw that was indeed the case. Crouching down in front of him so that they were face to face she questioned his behavior. "Hey sweetheart, why the long face? Is something the matter?"

Kiba looked up at his guess and then faced away while grumpily muttering Naruto's name. The brunet was growing sick and tired of chasing after Naruto's company only to be pushed away like that every time. He swore to himself that he was done with doing the chasing. From now on if Naruto wanted anything with Kiba then he would have to be the one to do the chasing. Yet his resolve quickly crumbled away because he couldn't picture his life without Naruto again. So instead he vowed to give the blond one more chance to turn around.

Ino giggled as she saw Kiba grumbling to himself like a kid and ruffled his head to get his attention. "Hey Kiba, how would you like go to the places Naruto goes when he is outside?"

That caught Kiba's immediate attention. Ino winked at him before standing up and motioning him to follow her to where she had settled down her bag.

"You see" she continued to entice him with her words, "I know that Naruto kept you locked inside here ever since he brought you away from that forest you were in, but haven't you ever wondered what it's like to be outside these four walls? You know to see the city and the streets for yourself with your own two eyes?" she inquired.

"City? Like the movies?" Kiba asked timidly.

"Yes Kiba, like in the movies." She replied as she mentally patted herself in the back for hooking up the brunet so easily into her plan. Although she was feeling kinda wrong because she felt like a kidnapper offering candy to a baby, she quickly pushed that thought away. After all she planned on returning Kiba before anyone noticed so there was no need to feel guilty.

"Would you like to go?" she asked influencing the other's answer by nodding her head. When Kiba returned the affirmative nod she asked a second time just for good measure. "Are you sure?"

As Kiba nodded again Ino clapped her hands in excitement before opening up her bag and bringing out a tuxedo and some dress shoes that the tattooed male eyed warily. And then with a grin that was all kinds of wicked she turned to the brunet and said, "Shall we begin then?"

…

…

…

…

…

Suddenly Kiba wasn't so sure anymore.

* * *

**A/N:** _Be ready for mayhem in the next chapter. I'm gonna have lots of fun with it XD_

**Hint:** _What happens when you put Kiba in clothes that feels too tight for him? Nuff said!_


	10. The Great Escape

**A/N:** _Wow, last chapter got such a great response that I decided to put my writing hat on earlier than expected, and it's quite long too. And that usually doesn't happen since I don't really let the review count influence my updates. So bravo for you! BD_

**A/N2:** _Just like before when I said this wasn't a NaruSaku, this isn't a KibaIno or KibaHina either. Don't get confuse people. This is an all full-out KibaNaru that already crossed the half-way mark. XD_

**Disclaimer: **Disclaimed _(badass I know XP)_

**Warning:** _There are a lot of scene changes in this one. Hopefully no one will get lost._

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Great Escape**

"I said stop that already, you are ruining your look." scolded Ino lightly while slapping Kiba's hand away from his necktie. "Here, let me fix it for you."

Both were standing at the gates of a big mansion were a social gathering for the elite was being held. Ino, of course, managed to get herself invited since this was a big opportunity to get her name out in the mouths and ears of people who mattered. That was one of the perks of knowing the host of the party.

She recently got exposure because of the whole Haku incident being covered by every magazine, talk show and newspaper. So now that she got a little momentum going for her she thought it would be the perfect time to jump start her career in the limelight again. After all, being referred to as the girl who lost the crown to a man by every printed article wasn't exactly how she wanted to be remembered for the rest of her life.

And what better way to get noticed at a party with hundreds of guests than arriving with the hottest date/accessory in town? Ino already had what most people in Konoha considered foreign looks going on for her because of her blue eyes and beach blonde hair. If you added to that equation the formfitting yet classy purple dress she wore that had cutouts in all the right places then she already stood out among the crowd.

Yet a girl like Ino was never afraid to go the extra mile to gather attention, and that's were Kiba came in. Even though she kept Kiba's dress code simple with the standard tux with a white dress-shirt underneath, a black tie and black dress-shoes; Ino was sure that the brunet would garner attention nonetheless.

Kiba ensued a wild and almost exotic vibe that Ino was sure she could use to her advantage. If his athletic frame and slit feral looking pupils weren't enough, then his red triangular tattoos were sure to do the trick. All she had to do was keep Kiba from tampering with his outfit and all would be a success.

The brunet's inability to wear more than the amount of clothing required to cover himself up hadn't really come up in conversation with Ino. Obviously neither Naruto nor Sakura ever considered the possibility that Ino might _**borrow**_ Kiba without permission so the issue was never brought up.

That's the reason why Ino was becoming a little irritated every time she saw Kiba tugging loose his tie. Said action always resulted with Ino tightening it back harder to keep it in place.

She thought that Kiba was just playing with tie as a nervous gesture because maybe he was getting cold feet about being outside of the apartment. So she reassured him that they would be back at Naruto's before nightfall so he should stop worrying.

When she finished tightening up his necktie again she brushed off the imaginary dust on his shoulders and stepped back to view her handiwork. Liking what she saw she rested a gloved hand on her hip while sending a playful wink at Kiba.

"Looking sharp!" she said with a smirk before getting down to business. "You know how to handshake right?" she questioned and continued when Kiba gave her the affirmative nod. "Great! Now remember, let me do all the talking and you'll be fine. Oh, and for today's lesson, it's always polite to hold hands with the person you are going in and out of places so give me yours."

Ino smirked when Kiba automatically placed his hand on hers and intertwined their fingers. She couldn't help it. Everything was playing out wonderfully and Kiba more than fitted his role of man-candy. She lost herself thinking of the possibilities while she led the brunet through the gates.

Meanwhile Kiba was busy trying to suppress the urge to rip out his tie and suit. He felt like he was suffocating but he didn't want to make Ino feel bad by shredding her gift to pieces. He was actually very excited about being out of Naruto's apartment and he wouldn't mind staying out until everybody else went to sleep. But he had no idea why he had to wear something so tight and stuffy to do it.

Kiba certainly didn't remember Naruto wearing anything remotely close to it whenever he went out so it made no sense to him. Yet he didn't want to jeopardize his chances of going out again so he tried his best to ignore the uncomfortable feeling the clothes gave him.

Unfortunately the outfit was starting to itch so Kiba wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out.

-_-_-_(Meantime at Uzumaki's)-_-_-_

It was a difficult choice for Naruto to come back to his apartment but he knew he couldn't run forever. He couldn't escape this. It wasn't fair for Ino to be stuck there and it wasn't fair to Kiba how Naruto reacted.

Even though he was very reluctant to do so, Naruto willed himself to return home and face his problems. There really was no escaping this. So after taking in one last breath of air Naruto twisted the knob of his front door and opened it.

To his relief or distress, he wasn't sure at the moment, he found no one waiting to prance on him. Nothing but silence welcomed the blond inside the small apartment as he made his way through the rooms in search for signs of life.

When Naruto found none he was sure that distress was undoubtedly the feeling that was taking over. But he didn't want to let himself get alarmed. There was sure to be a reasonable explanation for all this and he just needed to find out what it was.

So making his way through the living room he went to pick up his phone and dialed the number of the only person he thought could give him that answer.

"Hey Naruto" came a cheery voice through the speaker, "I'm surprised you're calling me. Did something come up?"

"No I, I mean yes, something did come up." Naruto answered with uncertainty. "Actually I just wanted to ask you about something Sakura." When the pinkette gave him the 'go ahead' he continued. "Do you happen to know where Ino is?"

"Ino?" the girl replied dumbfounded about why Naruto wanted to know about her roommate. "Yeah she said she was going to pick up her date to Neji's party. She borrowed my car and everything."

"That's odd."

"Why?"

"Because a moment ago I left Ino alone with Kiba while I, err, went out for something and now I can't find either of them."

"Oh… that is odd."

A minute of silence went trough the phone as both replayed the information in their heads before seemingly coming to the same conclusion at the same time.

"OH SHIT!"

-_-_-_(Back to Neji's Party)-_-_-_

After getting their picture taken at the entrance Ino busied herself for the past hour by introducing Kiba and herself to as many people (read: possible sponsors) as she could. She swapped stories, laughed at unfunny jokes, showed some eagerness to projects being discussed but not enough to seem desperate. After all she wasn't here to beg for a career, she was just here to let them know she was available and somewhat willing to lend her face or talents to a cause.

She wanted to be discoveredby talent scouts, emphasis on _**discovered**_. That way they would put all their money and resources on her because they actually believed she might have a chance to become the next best thing. Ino was done with hiring agents that would only take her money away with false promises of securing her a gig. She planned on getting herself noticed without setting herself up in a position where she would be taken advantage off. The blonde had been in the business long enough to learn a few things and she was now putting those tactics to the test.

But after an hour of the same old thing it was getting increasingly harder to concentrate on a conversation with Kiba constantly fidgeting beside her. So, reluctantly, she decided it was for the best to cut the chitchat short so she could find Kiba something he could entertain himself with. The blonde immediately thought of food as being the perfect remedy and began to lead her date toward the refreshment tables.

Kiba on the other hand was thankful to be getting away from the big crowd. Because of Ino he had been standing up straight for the past hour or so. That was way longer than what he was accustomed to. He wouldn't have been able to hold it out anymore if they stayed standing on the same spot for another minute.

Not to mention that he didn't understand half the things those people were talking about. Everything they'd said sounded so complex to Kiba's ears that he tuned them out after two minutes into the conversation. It didn't help any that the urge to scratch his itch wasn't lessening either.

It's not that Kiba was getting bored or anything, it's just that this situation royally sucked and was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. He was about to ask Ino if could at least take his coat off but was cut short when said girl spotted the host of the party and began dragging Kiba toward his direction.

"Yoohoo, Nejiiiiii!" Ino called getting the host's attention as she headed toward him. "Where have you been hiding? I was beginning to think you were going to be a no-show at your own gathering."

Kiba began grumbling under his breath at the thought of going through another introduction but stopped when he saw the pale eyes of the host. Those eyes were creepy and familiar at the same time. Then he noticed the person those eyes reminded him off standing a few feet away from Neji.

"Hinata!" he hollered aloud when he spotted her. He released Ino's hand and instantly made his way toward her. Kiba was so happy to see a familiar face that he failed to control his excitement. That meant that Hinata only had time to turn around to his direction before she was suddenly engulfed in a very strong hug. Because he hunched to give her said hug, the left side of his face was pressed dangerously close to her cleavage making her face turned ten shades of red.

"K-Kiba?" she stuttered but otherwise did nothing to remove him from her person. Her cousin Neji however looked flabbergasted by the whole exchange and wasted no time in demanding less physical contact.

"Unhand her!" he commanded. Then he turned to Ino and pointed at her in accusation. "You brought him here, now do something about it before he smothers Hinata with his brutality."

"Oh chill out Neji" said Ino while dismissively slapping his pointer finger away. "Kiba is just giving Hinata a friendly greeting. That's nothing to get so work up about."

"It is okay cousin" defended Hinata timidly as she maneuvered her hands between her and Kiba's body to gently push him away. "Shino and I know him and are used to this so please don't reprimand her on my behalf, please." finished the shy girl not daring to look at Neji's face.

At the mention of Shino's name, Kiba lifted his head and spotted the man with his ever present sunglasses heading their way. Kiba released Hinata and made way to glomp Shino too but the other sidestepped his way out of the hug and offered Kiba an acknowledging nod instead. The tattooed male smiled sheepishly in return since in his excitement at seeing Shino he momentarily forgot that Shino was a hands-off kind of guy.

Neji, however, was yet to be sold on the story and used his power as the host of the party to demand some answers with the threat of throwing them out if they didn't give them to him. He wanted to know who was the mannerless creature that Hinata dared familiarize herself with and from where did he came from.

Like always Ino paid no mind to Neji's condensing tone (God knows she wouldn't be at this party if she ever heeded his protests) yet sufficed either way by making brief mention of Kiba being Naruto's roommate.

"So this is the Tarzan you were telling me about" replied Neji as he narrowed his eyes fractionally to regard Kiba. Yet surprisingly to everybody around him, Neji made no move to further divulge in the subject at hand. Instead he turned to greet Tenten who arrived late to the scene. Ino also turned to greet Tenten.

Tenten remembered Ino right away from the few times she saw her with Sakura but was feeling a little slow on the update. You see Tenten felt a little disorientated because she was wondering how Ino and Neji knew each other since she clearly remembered Neji being absent every time Sakura brought Ino around. So naturedly Tenten voiced her question because she didn't like to be in the dark about anything pertaining her boyfriend Neji.

Ino of course wasted no time answering as Neji lost himself in a flashback he wasn't too fond of.

-_-_-_(One Year Ago)-_-_-_

_Neji's favorite beauty salon, err barbershop, had the audacity of closing its business in Konoha and move to another country so he was left searching for another shop to attend too._

_It was just his luck that around the block another one was celebrating its opening day by giving the royal treatment to its customers at half prize. Not that Neji needed the discount mind you. Yet he thought it was fate that made him stumbled on it so he went inside without further questioning his luck._

_Once inside he sat beside a long haired blonde who wasted no time in introducing herself as Ino Yamanaka and started pestering him with the useless info she was reading from her gossip magazine. _

_He didn't know what gave her the idea that he was interested in anything she had to say so he closed his eyes and proceeded to ignore her as best as he could. Unfortunately that didn't seem to deter her any as she continued talking to him like there was no tomorrow._

_Neji was already regretting coming here but he had no other choice. He just told himself that next time he would find another place and it will all be better. When you had hair as long as Neji you needed to take good care of it so leaving was not an option._

_Fortunately he was called to get his hair shampooed before he could lose his patience. Neji had always boasted to himself about being a very collected man after all. Yet it seemed he counted his fortunes too soon because they seated Ino next to him immediately after. Just his luck._

_Ino wasted no time in striking up a flirty pose in her seat while holding all her hair back with her hands. "So what do you think about me getting all my hair tied back into a ponytail? It would look good don't you think?" she said with a wink._

_If there was one thing the people who knew Neji were quick to learn about him was that if you were faint of heart you should never ask Neji what he thought about you because he was never one to sugarcoat his words. Today was no different._

"_I think that it should have been more than obvious to you that I care not for the words your mouth keeps spouting at me. Frankly I would appreciate it if you stop addressing me as you would one of your girl pals; and no, it's never a good idea to tie all your hair back into a tight ponytail. You should at least consider leaving some strands of hair loose to make them into a bang!" he lashed out harshly while being able to critique her at the same time._

_The girl had a confused face on as she brushed some of her hair to the front of the right side of her face, covering her right eye in the process. After careful consideration she turned back to Neji with an awestruck expression on her face._

"_Wow you're right, thanks for the tip, a bang could actually work! Teehee, I knew asking you was the right choice. How about we become salon buddies from now on? To tell you the truth I was kinda second guessing coming here but now I'm happy I did or else we would have never met." she finished with another wink._

_In response Neji turned his face away angrily cursing his fate. 'I should have known it was useless speaking to her. I should just ignore her, get my service and never comeback. Then I won't have to put up with this again.'_

_Ino giggled at the reaction she got from Neji. She always enjoyed pushing other people bottoms and this case was no different. She was going to leave it at that but then she read the label of the shampoo set besides Neji's head and she knew she had to intervene._

"_Are you sure about using that shampoo?" she inquired with clear skepticism. "I wouldn't if I were you." _

_And oh how Neji hated when someone questioned his decisions. "How dare you question my brand choice? If you must know this is the one my old stylist used on me so I'm 100% certain about this choice." he declared with finality._

"_If you say so, but if you ask me…" she purposely trailed off leaving her unfinished recommendation hanged in the air. She was an up and coming beauty queen so she knew a lot about hair products. Just by glancing at Neji's hair she could tell that there were brands better suited for his type than the one he planned on using._

_Neji tried to hold his outburst in because he knew that Ino was just edging him on. Her intentions were __**that**__ transparent to him. But if Neji ever had a weak spot it was anything concerning his hair. Needless to say that after much struggling with himself he finally caved._

"_Alright, out with it. What's so wrong about my shampoo choice?"_

_Ino made no attempt at hiding her smirk when she answered. "Well…"_

-_-_-_(Back to the Present)-_-_-_

And that's how Neji and Ino met each other. In the end even he had to admit that her recommendation was very on point. Plus she kept him up to speed with every new line of tips and products that he could use. From then on they became regulars every two Wednesdays.

That's also how Neji knew about Kiba since Ino had been gossiping about it to every available ear for the past weeks. If Naruto thought his secret was safe then he had another thing coming. Neji wouldn't be surprised if reporters started showing up at the fool's doorstep any day now.

As he watched how Ino and Tenten continued chatting Neji suddenly realized that the same thing about Naruto could be true for him. There was no guarantee that Ino wouldn't go spilling all the things he did at the beauty salon to Tenten. Neji was no primadonna per se but his demands did tend to range on the outrageous.

Concluding that the less Tenten knew the better, Neji decided to usher her away from Ino with the excuse that they needed to go make rounds in welcoming all his guests. It was proper etiquette after all.

-_-_-_(Meanwhile with Naruto & Company)-_-_-_

"I said speed to Neji's!" shouted Sakura from the passenger seat. "Why the hell did you stop?"

"The light was yellow" pointed out the driver coolly trying to appease her. He pressed a hand to his right ear in an effort to recover his hearing. But looking at Sakura's ticked expression he knew he just gave her a wrong answer. And he was right.

"Who the hell stops at a yellow light? Yellow doesn't mean stop you dimwit, it means freaking step on it before red comes!"

Not at all bothering to respond to her outburst because he knew it was a losing battle, the driver turned on his seat to face Naruto who was quietly sitting in the back of the vehicle.

"Hello there, I guess now is as good time as any for introductions don'tcha think?" he asked with a grin that showed all of his sharp teeth as he pointed to himself. "I already know yours so I'll go ahead and say mine. The name is Suigetsu Hozuki a.k.a. Sakura's new sexy boy-toy!"

Naruto, who was busy cupping his own head between his hands in distress, looked up to see Suigetsu playful grin only to quickly avert his blue eyes from the sight of it. Naruto couldn't help it. The mirth in that smile reminded him of Kiba's. Right now only thoughts of his tattooed housemate were all that plagued Naruto's mind. It was his responsibility if something bad happened to Kiba or because of Kiba and the blond knew it, there's no escaping that.

'_It's my fault for freaking out like that'_ Naruto thought with worry edging on his features. His unfocused eyes darted from side to side as he continued his inner struggle. _'I should have stayed. Why did I run? Why?'_

Suigetsu smile faltered with the odd treatment and turned to face Sakura again. "Hey is your friend alright? He's kinda nonresponsive."

"Of course he is alright!" flared Sakura in Naruto's defense. "He's just worried because my roommate kidnapped his when said roommate wasn't supposed to leave the house to begin with!"

"Wow, is he like in house arrest or something cool like that?" asked Suigetsu thrilled at the thought of driving around a fugitive. He suddenly felt like he was partaking in some kind of action movie.

"…something like that" Sakura humored apprehensively as she watched how the spark of excitement returned to Suigetsu's eyes.

In all honesty she wasn't planning on calling him ever again after their lousy date at the Aquarium. He was simply just too silly for her taste. But circumstances (like Ino not answering her phone) occurred and she needed a car because it was a one hour drive to Neji's state.

She knew that Suigetsu had somehow gotten it into his brain that they were hitting it off which meant that she could easily get him to drive her around without complains. The pinkette just hoped that they would get there in time before things got out of control.

Thinking about how she was duped by Ino into lending her car to the blonde made Sakura's blood boil. The pinkette gave a quick glace to the backseat and caught Naruto's lost expression. Sakura shivered. She was definitely going to give Ino a piece of her mind when she gets her hands on her ponytailed roommate.

Straitening up in her seat she saw the lights changing to green and wasted no time in smacking Suigetsu out of his self-induced trance and commanding him to floor it.

Yet much to her displeasure Suigetsu didn't follow orders and instead turned to face her with a cocky grin. "Tut, tut, Sakura. Is that anyway to ask for a favor?" he taunted ignoring the fact that the other cars were honking at him to move.

Sakura gritted her teeth and took a deep breath through her nose in order to calm herself down. After all injuring the driver would only stall things instead of speeding them up. "Suigetsu Hozuki, could you please move your last century piece of junk you call a car so we can get to our destination _**please**_?"

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?" asked a smirking Suigetsu as he placed both hands on the steering wheel before starting to drive. He couldn't help it that he liked his women feisty and Sakura just about fitted his taste. She was the one for him, he knew it. Suigetsu could also tell that the girl desperately needed to loosen up so that's why he kept playing silly games with her. Who knew, maybe all the girl needed was a way to release all that pent-up anger.

-_-_-_(Back to Kiba & Company)-_-_-_

"So Shino, I heard you're a walking bug encyclopedia. Is it true?"

Shino stared at Ino apprehensively behind his dark glasses because of the randomness of the question. Deeming that her interest seemed genuine enough he decided it was safe to answer. "Well I do-"

But before he could finish he was cut off by Ino as she started to speak over him not caring to hear the rest. "I also heard that you are majoring in politics which makes perfect sense to me!"

A little taken back by her logic, Shino decided to voice his confusion… "Really? Why would-" …only to be cut off again.

"I mean when you think about it the word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly' meaning many, and the word 'ticks' which means blood sucking parasites."

The shaded male stayed silent for a decisively short period of time as he mentally went over Ino's attempt at a joke. "…I think I'll go get some punch." he handed as an excuse before standing up and leaving their table.

Ino in returned crossed her arms and leaned back on her chair while muttering something about how no one seemed to have a sense of humor these days. Puffing stray blonde strands of hair out of her face she gave a quick glance at the remaining two occupants in their table.

Kiba hadn't separated from Hinata's side since he spotted her and was happily asking her question after question about word meaning, phrases and such. Ino honestly had never seen someone who was so eager to learn like Kiba was. She determined that she owed Kiba some free time to do whatever he wanted since the brunet had been compliant with her schemes so far so she decided to leave him alone to enjoy himself. With that in mind Ino stood up to continue making rounds on her own in search for more possible talent scouts. She heard that the new 'it' evening news reporter Kin and her crew were attending and didn't want to miss her chance to get acquainted with her.

Meanwhile Hinata had to hold a hand to her mouth in order to stifle her giggles but they came out nonetheless. She just found it way too cute how Kiba got nervous about asking her some questions in fear that he was saying something wrong, only to get excitedly hyper when he got his answers. He reminded her of Naruto and that was never a bad thing in her eyes.

Yet seeing that they were now alone Hinata took it as her opportunity to ask the question that'd been bugging her ever since her pale eyes landed on Kiba. She kept her head down enough to cover the top half of her face with her bangs as she mustered up the courage to take over the questions' department. It wasn't uncommon for Hinata to feel shy about intruding in other people's business.

"Um Kiba" she called lowering her voice a few octaves in a way that added a tone of secrecy that got Kiba's undoubted attention as he leaned forward for better hearing. "Does Naruto know that you are here?"

As to answer her question Kiba leaned back abruptly, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked away refusing to meet her eyes. Although surprised with the attitude change, Hinata picked up that apparently something must had happened with Naruto so she asked Kiba if they got into a fight.

The brunet grumbled something under this breath that the girl failed to catch but it was obvious by his behavior that he didn't want to talk about it. Able to grasp that sentiment and feeling bad for intruding Hinata searched her mind for something to change the forlorn atmosphere she brought up. That's when her thoughts traveled to Kiba's body language and gestures.

Ever since they started talking Kiba had been constantly playing with his cuffs and his tie. Not only that but he had been tapping his foot a lot and scratching his sides and his neck ever so often. Upon better inspection she noticed that his face was redder than usual, his breathing a little labored and that beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead. All in all he was looking pretty uncomfortable in his skin right about now.

Hinata was never one who liked seeing people squirm in pain or discomfort so that's why she couldn't help herself from asking Kiba if he was feeling okay.

"Is Kiba okay?" he repeated the question to himself as he locked eyes with Hinata's concern ones. He knew that the dark haired girl had always been nothing but helpful to him so he felt like he didn't have to hide anything from her. That's why he let his eyes turn downcast as he slowly shook his head. He was _**not**_ feeling okay.

Kiba was not feeling well at all. In fact he found that he could number everything that'd been bothering him over this short period of time.

First he was still feeling a little aggravated with the fact that Naruto pushed him and ran away without even turning around to apologize. Second he hated the clothes he was wearing. I felt tight, suffocating, heavy and not to mention itchy as hell. Third it was the first time he ever wore shoes and his feet were hurting. The fact that the socks felt incredibly tight as well did nothing to appease his pain.

Fourth was that he didn't feel like he belonged here with any of those people in suits, and didn't want to get separated from the people that knew him. So there was no way he was leaving Hinata's side until either Shino or Ino came back. He was actually getting rather nervous in this unfamiliar environment but he didn't want to admit that even to himself.

And last but not least, Kiba's survival instincts were flaring up. There was a couple that Ino introduced to him earlier as Kidomaru and Tayuya that were making him feel on the edge. They were nearby and kept sending suspicious glances he didn't like to Hinata's direction. Kiba didn't know how to react to that kind of situation.

Hinata noticed the lost expression he had on and the way he nervously kept tugging on his necktie making her perceived that the problem was the clothes he was wearing. It made sense really since it was the first time she ever seen Kiba with so much stuff on. So in a sisterly fashion she pulled his hands away and loosened his tie for him. Then thinking better of it she went ahead and removed the offending garment completely before setting it on the table.

Seeing Kiba's eyes widen in shock, Hinata felt her cheeks heating up with an embarrassed flush as she tried to explain herself to him. "Y-You looked uncomfortable so I-I wanted to he-help out a little."

Kiba tilted his head to side still not comprehending Hinata's action so the girl then had to inhale and exhale slowly as she contemplated another way to explain it to him.

"You see K-Kiba, it is okay that you want to please other people but whenever someone asks you to do or in your case wear something that you are not comfortable with then it is okay if you say no to them." She said as she remembered a past conversation with Naruto. "Someone once told me that there was nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. Understand?"

After blinking twice at the end of Hinata's sentence, a smile that showed his overgrown fangs spread throughout Kiba's face. It was a smile of gratitude. Her words struck dead-on the core of one of his problems and Kiba wanted nothing more than to hug her for it. But before he could do that two full cups of wine were emptied on Hinata's head, spreading all the way from her face to the top half of her dress.

The tattooed male was so preoccupied with what Hinata was saying before that he failed to notice that others were heading his way. When Kiba turned his head to get a glimpse of the offenders he glared in anger when he saw it was Kidomaru and Tayuya, the couple from before. They were laughing at Hinata and insincerely apologizing for tripping and _**accidentally**_ splashing her with their drinks.

Kiba turned to look at the soaking wet girl again and saw the wine still dripping on her face. What's worst was that her confused eyes were blaring with the tears she was forcing herself not to shed. It was then that a growling noise was starting to erupt deep within Kiba's throat and it was only growing louder. This was no accident.

Tayuya and Kidomaru stopped their laughing when they heard the feral sound emitting from the person seating beside their victim. They only had time to see Kiba standing up before he suddenly lunged at them.

They quickly scampered out of the way in fright but just as quickly found out that that wasn't the end of it. Kiba sprang forward again on all fours and they had to frantically run away as Kiba gave chase. There was no way in hell they were going to risk engaging someone that moved and acted so wildly. He was frigging growling at them like an animal! They were sure that a busted lip and a black eye was the least of their worries if that, that _**beast**_ managed to lay a finger on them.

Kiba was angry, more toward himself than the people he was chasing because he failed to detect their incoming attack and for letting Hinata take the blunt of it. Hinata had been nothing but a good friend to Kiba so he felt compelled to defend her. But even with his superior strength and speed he was still finding it difficult to catch up with Hinata's attackers because they kept running around the tables and throwing at him everything they could get their hands on to stop or at least slow down his march. Even the very tables were being shoved at him.

The tattooed male momentarily stopped his chase as a bowl of appetizers hit the front of his shirt. Great, now he could add dirty and sticky to his growing list problems. But then he remembered what Hinata told him about not giving up his comfortability for anyone. He knew that he could definitely catch up if he tossed aside everything that was wearing him down. So making up his mind he fisted the fabric of his shirt with both hands… and tore it open.

-_-_-_(Universal)-_-_-_

Sakura and Naruto wasted no time in rushing out of Suigetsu's car the moment he parked it at the front gates of Neji's mansion. A surge of panic running through both of them as they saw a large crowd of people running and screaming out in the front yard and away from the mansion itself. They somehow already knew that Kiba had to be involved in one way or another and it was with serious dread that they continued to push forward. Both of them fearing what they might come across with.

Once inside the mansion they saw nothing but complete chaos. It was as if a storm had raged inside the place that turned every table upside down, and splattered broken glass, food and utensils all over the floor. And right in the middle of it was Kiba looking predatorily around the mess in all his naked glory.

Naruto stopped dead on his tracks when he saw him not knowing what to do. All that he could think of was that his dreams did the real Kiba no justice. Sakura had to whack him on the back of his head for he blond to come out of his sudden rapture and Naruto wasted no time in running ahead toward Kiba and calling out his name.

At the sound of his name Kiba stopped his searching and his face literally lighted up when he caught sight of Naruto rushing to him. The brunet couldn't believe it. Naruto was actually running toward him instead of away from him. It was with a lopsided smile that Kiba stopped his earlier actions and dashed to meet up with his favorite blond.

When Naruto noticed this he panicked even though his face flushed bright red by just musing about what would happen if Kiba dared embrace him. Thankfully because of his fast thinking Naruto immediately grabbed a table cloth and threw it at the brunet. Kiba stopped shortly after puzzled with what the blond did giving Naruto enough time to drape the rest of it around Kiba's exposed body to cover him up.

"Don't say anything, just come with me alright?" said Naruto holding Kiba at arms' length by his shoulders and looking into his eyes. Kiba just nodded, happy enough with the simple fact that it was Naruto the one who came for him. Naruto too was feeling an immense relief now that he saw Kiba was okay after all. Both of them were finally able to relax and that was all that mattered to them.

On the meantime a couple of tables away from the scene Sakura found Ino seating on her butt on the floor. Apparently she was pushed down by all of the commotion that happened earlier and had yet to get on her feet again. Instead she was busy rubbing her behind sourly muttering a few curses until she noticed Sakura's imposing figure standing in front of her. "Crap"

"Ino, I'm going to give you ONE chance to explain yourself before I decide to POUND your face in for making NARUTO worry this much." Sakura seethed.

The ponytailed blonde gulped and had the decency to look ashamed at her actions. But then she had to ruin it by raising her hands in the I-don't-know fashion and responding with another lame attempt at a joke.

"Ehh, what would you do if I say that well behaved women almost never make it to the history books?" Ino asked with a nervous laugh at the end.

Sakura wanted nothing more than to show Ino what she thought of it with her fists but as she saw Naruto and Kiba heading to the door she knew that she had no time for it. Her first priority was to get the troubled duo back to the safety of their home. So sparing one last glance at Ino she informed her roommate that they were going to have a serious chat later that night before running after Naruto.

Ino ran a hand through her tousled hair and sighed in relief at her life being spared. But going back to her apartment was something she was not looking forward to do. As she was considering the possibility of staying at a friend's house until everything cooled down, all of the sudden a hand appeared in front of her.

She looked up to see that it was Neji who was holding out a helping hand to help her stand. Ino took the offer and once the blonde girl was on her feet she opened her mouth to apologize for the ordeal but was silenced as Neji held up his other hand in front of her face. He didn't want to hear it. The risk of him losing his composed exterior was just _**too**_ big.

Looking around the mess Neji spotted Kidomaru and Tayuya cowering forms coming out from under a table and set his chilly gaze on them. They seemed to have felt his deadly glare on them because they instinctively froze their movements in favor of turning their heads to look at Neji's approaching figure.

"I sure do hope that you two troublemakers have a good credit account because I'm charging you with the cost of all the damages."

-_-_-_(Back to Suigetsu)-_-_-_

Suigetsu was busy drinking water from his bottle when three passengers mounted his car. Looking at the new arrival at noticing Kiba's lack of actual clothing he couldn't help the chuckle that left his mouth. "Looks like someone had fun in the party." When both Naruto and Sakura glared at him he defended, "Well he does!"

"Just shut up and drive" said Sakura from beside him disregarding Suigetsu's attempt to lighten up the mood. Naruto and Kiba were in the backseat.

Totally ignoring the pinkette by pretending she didn't say anything, Suigetsu went on tapping his index finger on his right cheek in a thoughtful manner. "I wonder why I wasn't invited."

"I'm just taking a wild guess here but maybe it's because he DOESN'T FUCKING KNOW YOU!" Sakura answered sarcastically.

"But he knows you and you weren't invited. I don't mind being the plus one. Streaker over there didn't seem to mind it either." Suigetsu pointed out referring to Kiba. "If you want my honest opinion-"

"Which I don't!" interrupted Sakura but was yet again ignored by Suigetsu as he kept rambling.

"-it is probably because you act bitchy all the time." he finished by grinning victoriously at Sakura which only served to irk her even further.

"That's it!" the pinkette shouted as he cracked her knuckles. "If you think this is bitchy now then you ain't seen anything yet!"

"Oooh what are you going to do?" replied Suigetsu leaning forward and getting into Sakura's personal space. Even though he was truly enjoying himself he was also growing a little impatient with Sakura's aggressiveness. "Gonna spank me?" he taunted.

Sakura also leaned forward meeting Suigetsu halfway accepting the challenge. Their faces were only inches apart as they glared at each other nonverbally telling the other to back down. They stayed like that for a tensed period of time before suddenly smashing their mouth together as a heated make-out session ensued between the both of them. Suigetsu held a strong grip at the back of Sakura's head in an effort to deepen the kiss as Sakura's nails trailed red lines across Suigetsu's arms.

It was obvious that both of them liked it rough. But it wasn't until they started moaning into the kiss and fiddling with their shirts that Naruto finally lost it. "Oh for crying out loud, can we not do this here? At least wait until we aren't in the car anymore!" he yelled while covering Kiba's eyes with his hands.

Sakura and Suigetsu separated instantly and looked away from each other. Both flustered and not being able to believe that they lost themselves to the point of forgetting they were still in public. A quick shy glace at each other with the corner of their eyes was all that they needed to confirm that yes; they were indeed going to continue this later.

-_-_-_(Later at Night)-_-_-_

Naruto was slouching on his sofa, staring at the television but not really watching it, as Kiba was washing himself in the bath. The blond was tired, today had been a circus and Naruto wasn't sure if he could put up with it any longer. Caring for Kiba was taking a toll on Naruto yet he knew that he brought it upon himself and there was no escaping that responsibility.

He was also worried about how things will go down once Kiba was finished with his bath. They hadn't really talked since they got here, because of Naruto's stalling more than anything, but he knew that he couldn't put it off any longer. He thought about explaining himself to Kiba but then again he hadn't even done that with Sakura so why should he start now? The blonde just felt like crawling under a rock and dying just so he wouldn't have to face his problems. But yet again he knew that wasn't possible and that he was only delaying the inevitable.

At least that was how he felt until something on the T.V. caught his attention. It was a late night report about a new vaccine for pets a young couple had created. But it wasn't the medicine itself that caught his interest. What caught it was the pair being interviewed or more specifically the female of the two. She had long brown hair, dark eyes and tan skin. Yet her most distinctive features weren't any of those. It was the two large upside down red triangular tattoos that she had on her face the only thing Naruto's blue eyes could focused on.

Her name was Hana Inuzuka… his escape.

* * *

**A/N:** _Oh no I didn't! Oh yes I did-id! Bwahahaha! Next chapter is probably going to be an emotional rollercoaster for Kiba. And don't get me started on Naruto. Tell me what you think! XD_


	11. Roaring Kiba, His Sentiments Exactly

**A/N:** _Special thanks to haretikers for helping me jump start this chapter._

**Disclaimer: **Has Kurenai shared a panel with Team 8 at least once in Shippuden? That's probably only because I do not own Naruto.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Roaring Kiba, His Sentiments Exactly**

Naruto had no idea of what to expect once he and Kiba made it to their destination. Not having a clue of how things were going to turn out made the blond anxious as even he wasn't sure if he was taking the correct steps to begin with.

But everything happened so fast that before he knew it he and Kiba were both sitting in a taxi that was making it's way cross-state to meet up with one Hana Inuzuka. She offered to pay for it by the way. After seeing her on T.V. last night, Naruto wasted no time in looking her up in the yellow pages. It only took one momentous phone call that rung five times before being answered for everything else to shift into autopilot.

He hadn't even had the chance to run things over with Sakura. It was only now, because he had nothing else to do other than stay put for an almost three hour drive, that Naruto started to think things through and second-guess what he was doing. _What if I'm rushing into things? What if things don't play out like they should and I don't like the outcome in the end? But then again, isn't the possibility of bringing relatives together again always the right thing to do?'_

The blond wasn't sure how to answer any of those questions but he knew that something had to change. That much was evident when he thought back to his most recent encounter.

-_-_-_(Earlier that Morning after Breakfast)-_-_-_

Naruto had just finished making Kiba and himself ready to depart when he heard someone knocking on his door. Thinking it was their taxi driver that came to take them away Naruto opened the door only to find Tenten awkwardly standing by his doorstep. She was shifting her weight from one foot to another looking unsure of herself.

"Hi Naruto, nice to see you're already awake. I, um, here!" she said quickly shoving the items she had tucked in her arms to Naruto. "These are the clothes, or what's left of them, that your friend left back at Neji's. Just being a good friend and personally hand-delivering them back to you." she finished awkwardly laughing at nothing while rubbing her left arm with her right hand in a nervous gesture.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior and noticing that she made no move to leave he asked her if she had another reason for stopping by. She seemed reluctant to answer but did so nonetheless.

"Well now that you mention it…" she trailed off when her eyes landed on Kiba standing a few steps away from Naruto. "Hi there!" she exclaimed trying to drawl out the true reason for her visit as much as possible." I don't believe we officially met. I'm **Ten**aki **Ten**chimoto but that sounds way too boyish so you can just call me Tenten for short like everybody else does. I prefer it that way honestly. Anyhow you must be the infamous Kiba, correct?"

Kiba waved back at her not really sure of what else to do. He was wearing his usual loose shirt and basketball shorts with a pair of flip-flops being his only new addition to casual ware. The brunet was also too busy wondering why was it that mostly only girls were the ones to always show up at Naruto's doorstep. The brunet male had taken notice that Naruto almost never spoke with Shino and that the redhead from before hadn't been around much either. It was then that the idea that maybe Naruto was afraid to make guy friends slowly crept its way inside Kiba's head.

Looking behind Tenten, Naruto saw a yellow cab stationed itself on his parking lot and knew he had to leave soon so he politely asked the girl to hurry it up. She spun around to face away from the blond as she not so quietly complained about how it was never an easy job to be the bearer of bad news. Then after deciding that it was better to serve it blunt she turned around again with her eyes closed, an apologetic grin on her face and her hand rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously.

"Neji just issued a restriction warrant against you and your friend over there saying that neither of you are allowed within 50 meters from his private property. So yeah, um, see ya!"

-_-_-_(Back to Now)-_-_-_

Even if Naruto was a little ticked off with Neji's magnificent solution to everything, the blond couldn't say that he was at all that surprised by said action. Naruto knew that it would probably take a month tops for Hinata to convince Neji to drop the restriction order so Naruto wasn't at all worried about that even though it still bothered him. But all in all Naruto guessed that at least he should be grateful that Neji didn't charge his ass with the bill. It seemed that way bellow that uncaring exterior even someone like Neji had a heart.

Yet there was someone Naruto was still very pissed at and was reminded of said person every time he glanced at Kiba and saw him playing with a white Nintendo DS. _**Ino's Nintendo DS**_ that she left behind at his home on her last visit.

Naruto had half the mind to reach for it and throw it out the window. But then he reminded himself of the usefulness of the device in keeping Kiba's mind away from the situation. Naruto still didn't know what to say to Kiba so the fact that the Nintendo DS kept him distracted actually worked in Naruto's favor. Deciding there was nothing else that could be done Naruto entertained himself by looking out the window and watching the changing scenery pass by.

The moment the blond looked away Kiba put down the game in order to stare at Naruto's back. The tattooed male had no idea why he was here inside a vehicle or knew where they were going. But he long figured out that it was futile to try to get answers from Naruto when the whiskered male got withdrawn like that so Kiba pretended to be playing just so he could give Naruto time to straighten out his thoughts.

Yet Kiba was growing ever so impatient with Naruto's silent treatments and unexplained actions. The brunet swore to himself that if Naruto ever again did something that Kiba didn't like he would voice it and hold nothing back. But until then Kiba would just turn on Ino's Nintendo DS one more time like a good boy and pretend that he didn't know any better since apparently that was what Naruto thought of him.

Before long and a quick pit stop for a bathroom break later, they finally arrived to a huge manor that made Naruto's jaw drop. The house itself although big and expansive wasn't much to brag about; it was the wide expanse of acres and acres of terrain that impressed Naruto. _'No neighbors in sight! Does she really own this much land all to herself?"_

Then he turned to Kiba and ruffled his hair playfully. "You lucky dog, to think you been hiding this from me all along." he joked.

Kiba had no clue of what Naruto was talking about but heck; at least he was talking to him again. That itself was a welcome change from the last three hours.

The whiskered one then proceeded to ring the doorbell with some hesitancy while reminding Kiba to be in his best behavior. The brunet almost scoffed at that because he thought that he always was on his best but nonetheless straighten up his posture to both look more presentable and to remind Naruto who was the taller one of the two.

Yet both of them gaped when they got a look at the person who opened the door to receive them. He was a freaking giant in their eyes. Buffed and almost a foot taller than them, an impressive figure indeed.

"Err, sorry wrong address!" squeaked out Naruto somehow being able to keep the intended 'please don't eat me' out of his sentence as he started backpedalling away from what his mind dubbed as a modern version of Frankenstein.

The 'Frankenstein' in question blinked in confusion at his visitor's statement but when he saw the brunet standing behind the blond everything else clicked.

"Ah, you must be Naruto Uzumaki, the one who called last night." He said while still eyeing Kiba, or more specifically his facial tattoos. "Please come in, we'd been expecting for you."

When Naruto got a better look at the guy's face, his own face lit up in recognition. _He's the guy I saw standing next to Hana in the interview.'_ Naruto's blue eyes then went up from the big guy's face to his big hair before giving an almost unnoticeable nod and stepping inside. _'Orange hair huh, you don't see that everyday. Now all that's left is for me to see someone with green hair and then I'll be able to say that I've seen all the colors in the rainbow.'_

Kiba followed shortly after Naruto but puffed out his chest while bypassing the taller man at the doorstep in a childish attempt to look bigger than he was. The bigger male was amused by it but otherwise did nothing in return except for closing the door after Kiba and then leading them to the main room. "My name is Juugo Tenpin by the way." He said when arriving at their destination before gesturing at his furniture. "Please make yourself at home. I'm sure that Hana will be here shortly."

Regrettably Kiba wasn't at all feeling like sitting down after having to do so for three hours straight so instead he rummaged around until he saw a bottle of pills that reminded him of the supplements Sakura had given him. He picked it up only for it to be almost instantly snatched away from him by Juugo. Not wanting to seem startled, Kiba pretended that he didn't care for it and continued his stroll without giving it a second glance. It's not like he could read what it was in the first place so what was the point of making a fuss over it.

On the other hand Naruto hid nothing when he raised a questioning eyebrow at Juugo's reaction. Catching on to it Juugo was quick to apologize, "Sorry about that, these are just something I need to suppress my medical condition."

"Which is?" asked Naruto as he turned to eye the sofa next to him. "I mean if it is not too rude of me for asking."

"Not at all" responded Juugo looking away as he came up with a way to explain it. "Let's just say I suffer from a variant of the bipolar disorder."

'_A variant? What is that suppose to even mean? Either you are bipolar or not'_ Naruto thought suspiciously. _'Great, as if his size wasn't enough now I discovered that he is a nutcase. Wonderful.'_ he added sarcastically.

Hiding his real thoughts with a nonchalant shrug, Naruto settled himself on the sofa he had been eyeing. When he did he immediately felt like melting on it. _'Man that hits the spot! This sofa is so incredibly __**soft**__ and __**comfy**__ it was probably handmade by angels! Definitely beats mine by a landslide.'_

Naruto's trip to nirvana was abruptly cut short however when the bells of the house chimed in signaling the arrival of someone else in the house. The blond turned his head around the sofa-from-heaven to get a glimpse of the newcomer and felt his mouth dry out when he saw the very woman they came to visit walking in. Tan skin, brown hair and red fangs tattoos just like Kiba's. There was no questioning that this was the one and only Hana Inuzuka.

For some reason that Naruto couldn't explain he suddenly felt very nervous. It was like something deep inside of him was against the idea of bringing Kiba here in the first place. But that couldn't be right could it? _'I mean why wouldn't I want Kiba to find somewhere else to belong to?'_

The female in question complained about a cab driver that was parked in front of the house and how she told him to beat it and comeback later. Noticing her two visitors shortly afterwards, she sent a withering look at Naruto before walking to stand in front of Kiba for better inspection.

At the skeptic look Hana was giving him Kiba crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared back defiantly. The woman in front of him was challenging him, he could feel it, but he was not going to let himself be intimidated by yet another woman. One Sakura was more than enough thank you.

Hana raised one hand to grasp Kiba by the jaw and turned his face from side to side. "He definitely has mother's eyes and you did a remarkable job with the Inuzuka tattoos, I have to commend you for that. But I'll let the DNA test tell me the rest." She said while releasing her grip on Kiba and moving to seat in the loveseat across from Naruto.

"E-Excuse me?" replied Naruto puzzled with the distant treatment. That certainly was not how he pictured a family reunion, and was she accusing him of something? Kiba on the other hand stayed silent on his spot but his eyes never left Hana's face. The brunet male was wondering why had Naruto brought him here, why did that woman have his same tattoos, and why he felt like he was the only one who didn't know what was going on.

Hana crossed her legs in front of her before staring back with clear cynicism at the bewildered look Naruto was giving her. "I didn't stutter. I said I'm running a DNA test to verify your claim."

That statement just rubbed Naruto the wrong way and he wasn't shy about voicing it out. "Well I don't like what you are implying. Are you accusing me of trying to trick you? I'd never play a sick joke like that!"

"What else am I supposed to believe?" shouted back Hana while digging her nails into the armrest. She was starting to get a little emotional but who wouldn't in her position. "Only minutes after it was broadcasted that Juugo and I hold a two million ryo patent on a new drug for dogs you called out of nowhere to tell me that someone I thought was long dead was suddenly still alive and kicking? How else am I supposed to react?"

"I-ah-um…" Naruto found himself at a momentary loss for words and unable to give a good comeback. Honestly, how was he supposed to respond to that? When Hana put it that way it did make him sound a little suspicious.

"I'm think I'll go make some tea." said Juugo after an awkward moment of silence. Everyone seemed to be lost in their thoughts and he needed to do something to at least bring the sound back. But even after he came back and handed everyone their cup of tea, except for Kiba who took one whiff of it and turned it down, no one had moved to say a word.

After another minute of the same old thing it was Hana who broke the silence. "How much?"

"How much what?" questioned Naruto in his calmest way possible.

"How much do you want?" asked Hana raising her gaze to look at Naruto again. She elaborated when she saw that the blond still didn't get it. "Your reward. It's only natural for you to want some kind of compensation out of this so how much is it?"

When she spoke she did it with a business tone that Naruto was sure not even Shino would be able to pull off. But if Naruto was speechless before he sure wasn't now.

"Would you stop that already? I already told you that I wasn't here to rip you off out of your money! Whether you choose to believe it or not, I'm telling you the truth!"

Hana sank back on her seat as she struggled to figure out what her next action should be. She really didn't know what to believe so she looked to Juugo for support. Said man cocked his head to Kiba's general direction silently telling her to follow her heart and do what she thought was right.

The girl in question nodded and moved to stand up in front of Kiba. She locked eyes with him again but this time instead of staring with skepticism she was looking for the truth hidden behind the other's eyes.

Kiba stared back at Hana as well yet he got a whole different feeling from before in he pit of his stomach. Her eyes where glazing over and for an unknown reason it was making Kiba's eyes glazed too. Truthfully speaking it made no sense to him. Why was he being affected so much by the girl standing in front of him?

"Do you know who I am?" Hana finally asked. Kiba shook his head 'no' unable to shake the feeling that he should have known. "Do you even know who you are?"

The man smiled at the easy question and with certainty answered "Kiba", yet his smile slowly faltered when he found that he couldn't provide anything else beside his name.

Hana inclined her head down, effectively cutting their staring contest, and for a moment Kiba was worried he said something wrong. He looked at Naruto for help but the blond was just as lost as he was. But when his eyes shifted back to Hana's face and saw a soft smile tugging her lips his concern vanished.

"Yes" Hana spoke, her voice quivering a little. "You are Kiba Inuzuka, that's the name I picked for you and wouldn't let mother call you otherwise. Your twentieth birthday is on July 7, three weeks from now. But more importantly you are the hyperactive little brother I thought I lost more than sixteen years ago."

At the end Hana couldn't hold it in any longer and threw her arms around Kiba in a tight hug as she cried shamelessly on his shoulder. Her emotion was just too great for her. Kiba in return was at a loss on what to do. Sister? He had a sister?

He glanced down at the girl crying on him but couldn't make her out clearly. He raised one finger to trace it under his eyes and they widen in surprise when he saw that he was also tearing up. Kiba couldn't remember the last time he did that. Not knowing how to deal with it he instinctively closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around Hana as well.

It was a weird feeling that was coursing throughout Kiba's body. He knew he wasn't sad but then why was he crying? At the same time he was feeling kind of guilty too. All this time he doubted Naruto when the blond was only doing something incredibly nice for him. The tattooed male made a mental note to thank his favorite person for it later.

Meanwhile Naruto was sending a nostalgic smile at the siblings' way. Now that Kiba was reunited with Hana the blond finally understood why he was feeling so nervous earlier. _'So you finally have a family of your own huh buddy. Guess you don't really need me around anymore since you're no longer alone in this world.'_ Looking away from the scene his blue eyes dulled as he stared at his empty teacup. _'I wasn't much of a family anyways so I don't blame you. Heck, I wouldn't want to be around me either.'_

-_-_-_(Somewhere back in Konoha)-_-_-_

Sakura was calmly sitting in her living room eating vanilla ice cream as she watched the news on her television. That is until a special news bulletin came on air. It was no other than the new on-field reporter Kin Tsuchi with the latest gossip. What glued Sakura's attention to the screen was that the segment was called _**Konoha's Tarzan Crashes Elite Party**_.

As Kin went on talking about the information she gathered, images of Ino and Kiba at the party flashed on the screen until actual video footage of Kiba rampaging in nothing but his birthday suit came on. There was a black rectangular block censoring the parts of his anatomy that couldn't be shown on T.V. but that was beside the point. Then they finished it off by pressing Neji, the host of the party, for commentary. Although he refused to comment on anything he did give a pointed glare at the camera and said something about how he better see a certain ponytailed blonde at their usual place next Wednesday.

The pinkette immediately turned off the T.V. as anger ticks adorned her forehead. Sakura wasted no time in storming her way to her room only to see Ino jumping excitedly on her bed as she pointed at her own television set.

"Did you see me on TV? Neji even gave me a shout-out! It doesn't get cooler than that!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Sakura was anything but amused. "I can't believe you sold him to the press!" yelled the pinkette referring to Kiba or 'Konoha's Tarzan' as they dubbed him.

"Oh chill out Billboard Brow" Ino replied waving her off dismissively. "I got you an autographed t-shirt from Kin if that's what you are so grouchy about."

Needless to say Kiba had nothing on Sakura's ferocity in the way she launched herself at Ino. The now classic game of cat and mouse ensued.

-_-_-_(Back to the Inuzukas)-_-_-_

Naruto spent the rest of the day swapping stories with Hana while Juugo showed Kiba a carton box with seven recently born puppies. They were planning on putting the dogs up for adoption soon. The puppies were of the 'great pyrenees' breed which would be a hassle to handle if kept together.

Out of the seven, Kiba was eyeing with childlike wonder the white one with the brown patches on its ears. It was the first time that the brunet had seen an actual dog this close and all he knew was that he wanted to keep one for himself.

The blond told Hana a more detailed story of how he met Kiba and how his friends had been helping him to civilize the wild man. Naruto still couldn't believe that Kiba was actually only three months older than him. Naruto himself would turn twenty on October 10, his birthday. He wasn't expecting for them to be in the same age group, talk about coincidence. The blond also made brief mention on how Kiba would eat anything that was chewy or had cheese on it.

Hana in return told Naruto about how her parents where fanatics about traveling in helicopters and how it was because of a turbulence that it came crashing down on the Forest of Death when she was young. She always feared flying so she didn't go with them on the ride, that proving to be the last time she saw them.

The rescue team found their incinerated bodies but no trace of her 3 year old brother. After a week the search was called off with claims that even if the kid had survived the fall he was probably already eaten alive by the wild animals that inhabited the forest so Kiba was proclaimed dead as well.

Newly orphaned she went to live with her uncles until she became a veterinarian and was able to live on her own. She said that was how she met Juugo whom also shared her love for animals. Hana joked about how she thought that the other man could sometimes communicate with animals because they always seemed to follow whatever he told them to do.

To Naruto that just sounded like another item he could add to the growing list of things that unsettled him about Juugo. Then he noticed the ring on Hana's finger and asked her if she was married.

"Not yet" laughed Hana sending a loving gaze at Juugo. "We are only engaged at the moment but plan on tying the knot late August."

Naruto followed her gaze to Juugo and concluded one thing when his eyes landed on the big bipolar oaf. Hana was probably a masochist. _'To each their own I guess'_ he inwardly scrutinized. The girl also mentioned that this place was only where they did their research and that they actually have another house in the city where they normally live.

It was only minutes later that the doorbell rang with the taxi driver that was there to take Naruto back to his home. Juugo went ahead to charge the expense to his credit card while Naruto said his farewells to the Inuzukas. That was probably when everything came down hill for Kiba.

The brunet male could understand Naruto saying goodbye to Hana but why the heck did the blond patted Kiba on the head while saying he would keep in touch? Whatever that meant.

Kiba followed Naruto to the front door only to be stopped by said person at the door and told not to follow. Hana and Juugo stood by a confused Kiba waving their goodbyes as the tattooed male watched Naruto walk away toward the yellow cab on his own. It was then that Naruto's true intention dawned on Kiba. _**He**_ was being left behind.

"No" he mumbled to himself before darting out and grabbing the blond by the wrist. "Naruto no leave Kiba!" he declared aloud with a scowl present on his face. Kiba was not going to let Naruto do this to him again.

"Let go of me Kiba" said Naruto forcefully removing Kiba's grip on him without turning around to face the brunet. If he did then his resolve would surely crumble. So instead he closed his eyes hard enough to crease his skin as he steeled himself for what he was about to do. "This is what's best; you can't be with me so please stop following me."

But Kiba wasn't listening to any of that and instead turned Naruto around to face him and held him there by the shoulders. "Kiba want Naruto. Kiba stay with Naruto. Please dun leave Kiba!" he said with a begging edge to it.

Naruto shook Kiba's hands away from him and stepped back. The blond didn't want things to be this hard but he needed Kiba to understand that being with someone as unstable as Naruto was not in Kiba's best interest.

"Stop acting like a child, you don't know what you are saying!" reprimanded Naruto as he forced himself to look at Kiba straight in the eye to make his point clear. "You don't want to be with me becau-"

"_**Liar!"**_ roared Kiba startling everyone present to the point that Naruto felled backwards on his ass by the sheer force of it.

Kiba was heaving. He never felt so betrayed in his life and he couldn't believe it was Naruto who was doing this to him. The blond on the other hand was forcefully reminded that he wasn't talking to a child but to a man who could singlehandedly wrestle against a pack of hungry wolves and win.

The brunet was angry beyond the point of being able to calm down. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster for Kiba. He never experienced so many new different and unfamiliar emotions in one day but this one was by far the worst. And it didn't help any knowing that he was somehow crying at the same time of feeling anger. Betrayal was unquestionably a terrible sentiment to go through but enough was enough. Kiba had had it!

"Kiba want want wants Naruto. But Naruto dun want Kiba. Den Kiba no want Naruto!"

The whiskered male felt himself breaking when he saw Kiba running away from him and into the house. He could tell that he really hurt the brunet just by watching his tear-streaked face. Naruto had no idea that he mattered _**that**_ much to Kiba. _'But I did the right thing, didn't I? I mean I could barely handle myself with Kiba around and he deserved so much better than that. I should be happy that it ended this way, right?'_

Naruto then clutched his chest in pain. _'Then why do I feel so bad?'_ he wondered. _'No, I know that I did the right thing. There is nothing to worry about. Believe it.'_

And that's what he kept telling himself as he stood up and got into the taxi not having the courage to look back at Hana's nor Juugo's faces to see their reactions to the whole thing. That's what he kept telling himself through the 3 hour drive to his apartment, and that's exactly what he told Sakura when she came to visit that night.

Unfortunately he wasn't able to tell himself that after the lights were out and he felled into a restless sleep. For that very night, now that he was newly alone in his house, Naruto dreamt of the raven haired boy that screwed his life up. A nightmare he hadn't had ever since Kiba started living with him. It seemed that everything wasn't going to be alright after all.

* * *

**A/N:** _Okay, before I get countless of reviews screaming at me for ditching Kiba let me explain a few things. A separation between the main pairing is actually the best thing that could have happened to them right about now. Naruto needs time away from Kiba in order to understand that Kiba was never the problem and that Naruto can no longer live without him. At the same time Kiba needs some time away from Naruto in order to grow and mature a little more. In his time away Kiba will come to understand things that were never openly discussed in the presence of Naruto. _

_And anyways, how else was I supposed to get Akamaru? Hana is a vet, has lots of puppies, and she is best suitable to show Kiba how to take care of one. Besides, I'm planning on a small timeskip so everything will be made better by the end of next chapter. No worries XD_


	12. About Yesterdays and Families

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of it characters. But if I ever get my hands on a time machine that will be the first thing I change! Mwahahahahahaha!

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 12: About Yesterdays and Families**

-_-_-_(One Week Later)-_-_-_

As usual it was a bright sunny day in Konoha were it seemed like nothing could damper it brilliance. It was perfect for outdoors activities such as going to the beach or having a picnic. It was like the very sky was asking everyone to come out of their four walls to enjoy the sun and be happy. Too bad that there was one particular duo to whom the day's invitation didn't reach as they were too busy arguing with each other.

"Why can't you just admit that you miss him!" exclaimed Sakura raising her voice as she tried to get through Naruto's thick skull.

"Because I don't!" he retorted while chewing on his food and continued once he swallowed. "In fact I'm happy that he's gone!"

"Oh really?" responded the pinkette not buying Naruto's story. "Then why are there 2 bowls of cereal on the table?!"

"Easy! That's because I like to eat! Why else would there be another?"

"Yeah?! Then riddle me this Mr. Smart-mouth. If you don't miss Kiba then why the hell are you wearing his _**I Love Nachos**_ t-shirt?"

"Because it's a good shirt! Besides I was the one who bought it so I can wear it whenever I want!!!" the blond shot back defiantly.

At that Sakura's patience was diminishing and she punched the table to show it. "God Naruto you are so damn stubborn it's driving me crazy!!!"

"If you don't like it then you can just go away and leave me alone already! I never asked you to be here in the first place!! I don't need your stinking pity!!!" he snapped back also punching the table making the bowls clatter.

"It's not fucking pity you stupid idiot!" she screamed as she abruptly stood up while slamming both hands on the table.

"If I'm so stupid then why are you still here!?" the blond shouted back mimicking her actions by standing up and also slamming his hands on the table.

"BECAUSE I CARE!!" retorted the pinkette chocking up and trying to fight back her angry tears. "It's not pity, I'm just worried because I care about you. Why can't you see that?"

"Whatever" mumbled Naruto looking away because he couldn't stand seeing someone cry. "I still never needed anyone but me."

And that little comment was all that it took for Sakura to finally lose it and in her fury she flipped the table over, breaking Naruto's china in the process. "That's it! Don't you dare call me back until you get your head out of your ass you fucking prick!"

Not a second after she said that, the girl marched to the front door and slammed it shut. Naruto stayed grounded on his spot staring at the mess on the floor but not really looking at it for a few minutes. Then he grabbed his house keys and also went out the door because he felt unable to stay in his apartment any longer.

* * *

Meanwhile outside of Konoha another girl and boy combo were about to go through a crucial discussion of their own.

"Come on Kiba, talk to me. There must be lots of things you want to ask your big sister" pleaded Hana to her brother.

They were in Kiba's room with both sitting on his king size bed. The boy was seated Indian style in the middle of his bed while petting the puppy he had on his lap, the one he called Akamaru. He was being stubbornly silent ever since Naruto went away except for when his private tutor came by since Kiba still wanted to perfect his speech. His tutor was nothing like Hinata but at least the job was getting done.

Hana, who was sitting on one of the edges of Kiba's bed, cocked her head backwards and let out a defeated sigh. Her brother was being his usual stubborn self but at least he stopped mopping around enough to come out of his room for family dinners and to watch Hana as she worked with animals. She did most of her work at their place while Juugo was the one who frequently worked outside the house.

All she had to do now was to get him to start talking more freely. At first Hana thought her brother was just shy about voicing his thoughts because according to Naruto it hadn't even been a month since Kiba uncovered his ability to speak. But now it was plain obvious that her brother simply had nothing to say to her, period.

Kiba would stop and listen to everything his sister had to say without problem but he himself added nothing to the conversation except for small things like "where's the bathroom" and "can I feed the animals too". But for Hana that wasn't nearly enough so she kept probing him with subjects to talk about in order to see if any of them caught his interest. Unfortunately so far it seemed that nothing was working.

With another exaggerated sigh she flopped down completely over the bed. As she stared at the ceiling her brain desperately searched for anything that might get her the desired reaction from Kiba. Regrettably she basically knew next to nothing about her bother so she had no idea where to start. All she knew was that he was incredibly upset about Naruto leaving without him.

Hana still didn't know what to think about that little ordeal. It was something that threw her out of her game. The fact that Juugo later joked about it looking like a lover's quarrel did nothing to sooth her unease. But alas it was the only thing she knew Kiba felt strongly about so after coinciding that she had no other option she decided to approach said subject.

Turning her head to face Kiba she snapped her fingers twice to get his attention. "Brother, if anything why don't you tell me about the guy that brought you here. You know, about Naruto. Is there something else you wanted to tell him before he left?"

At the mention of Naruto's name Kiba stopped patting Akamaru in order to cross his arms and looking away. He huffed indignantly because he was still angry at the blond for ditching him and for a moment Hana thought she was not going to get an answer. But then Kiba's shoulders slumped yet he did not turn to face her because he felt too down in the dumps to meet her gaze.

"Kiba is in lov- I love Naruto." He said correcting his almost slip-up at the end. His tutor told him that in order to better his speech he had to stop referring to himself in third person. Kiba congratulated himself for his awareness and incidentally lifted his gaze to meet up with Hana's when he heard nothing but pregnant silence following his confession.

He didn't know what he was expecting to see but the terror in Hana's face was definitely not it. The look she was giving him was making Kiba feel a teensy bit self-conscious. "Is something wrong with me loving Naruto?"

-_-_-_(Another Week Later)-_-_-_

Today Naruto originally planned on going to the gym in order to burn away some of his pent up frustration but he didn't trust himself enough to be able to concentrate so he ended up in an outdoors Café instead.

He had been there stirring his no longer hot mochaccino for the past hour in his solitary table. He needed his solitude away from home to clear out his thoughts but even after a long period of time he was still unable to figure out what to do with himself. Yet as fate would have it, his peace was interrupted by a well-known face.

"Is this seat taken?" asked a familiar redhead.

Naruto looked up to see Gaara across the table and shook his head at the question which the redhead took it as his cue to sit down. Gaara mixed the cream into his frappuccino and took a tentative sip from it before glancing at Naruto and noticing that he was spacing out.

"You seem troubled" Gaara calmly stated.

"I'm not troubled." retorted the blond between gritted teeth.

Gaara resisted the urge to raise a nonexistent eyebrow and instead decided to take a different approach in an effort to make Naruto spill. "I talked to Hinata the other day."

"Oh?" said Naruto in surprise but couldn't help to smile impishly at the prospect. Lifting one hand to the side of his face like if he was telling a secret and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively Naruto spoke. "Don't tell me you two been dating behind my back. I'm hurt no one told me sooner" he finished by placing a hand on his chest in mock hurt.

Again Gaara resisted the urge to roll his eyes and took another sip from his drink instead. "We're not dating" he answered sincerely, "We just happened to encounter each other yesterday at the bakery again. She told me that Kiba was no longer living with you. Is that true?"

Naruto abruptly stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "For the last time I don't miss him!!!" he shouted glaring at the redhead. If Gaara was at all caught off guard by the outburst he didn't show it as he calmly took another sip from his frappuccino. It took a moment for Naruto to realize that that wasn't what Gaara asked or implied; and when it did the blond quietly sat down again feeling like an even bigger idiot.

Minutes passed in awkward silence as Naruto continued to stir his mochaccino while Gaara finished his own drink. Naruto's little outburst gave the redhead all he needed to know. Gaara clearly remembered that the last time he saw Naruto the blonde wouldn't shut up about the man he found in the Forest of Death, and the fact that Naruto didn't want to talk about Kiba spoke volumes to the redhead.

Gaara sighed, something that was so uncharacteristically of him, and turned his face to watch the people passing by. He wasn't going to say anything to Naruto before but now he guessed that the blond may need to hear it.

"I also spoke with my siblings on the phone the other day." stated the redhead after some more time passed. With the corner of his eye he saw that he managed to catch Naruto's attention because of the shocked expression he was wearing. "We decided to go on a trip together to Suna's desert. To try to get reacquainted they said. I decided to go."

"Wow, that's awesome news but… are you sure you're ready to face them again?" Naruto asked with worry edged in his voice.

Gaara smiled at Naruto's reservations and nodded. "Even though none of us have spoken to each other in years I still think about them everyday. We are all we have left. I want to trust them. I, I want this too."

"But what if they end up blaming you for what happened? What if it doesn't work out and they end up treating you like everyone else did? What if things end up worst than last time and you end up hating each other? Why risk inflicting more pain to yourself Gaara? Why?"

"Because it's worth it." he quietly stated. At Naruto's lack of response Gaara took a deep breath and faced the blond once more. "You're right when you say that I'm taking a big risk and chances aren't in my favor. And yes, I do feel scared about what the outcome might be. But I've been alone long enough to know that's not what I want for my life. I decided to not let the past keep me from my future."

The redhead then stood up, picking his empty cup in the process, and made way to leave only stopping briefly at Naruto's side for some parting words. "Isn't it time that you learned to do the same? After all Naruto, isn't it you who always told me to believe it?"

The whiskered male turned his head to see how Gaara deposited his cup in the trash bin and left without giving a second glance to Naruto.

Afterwards the blond stared down at his own coffee cup in contemplation for a long time. It seemed like everyone around that mattered was leaving him and moving on with their respective lives except for himself. Naruto tried to laugh at his situation but he was pretty sure he cried instead.

* * *

The whole week had been hectic for Kiba. It was like his sister had done a complete 180 on him. Hana had gone on and on about how wrong it was for him to make such a statement that implied Kiba had those kinds of feelings for another man. She constantly repeated how she knew that he was just confused and how she would be there to help him get back on the right track.

Everyday Hana found new ways to reestablish in her brother's head how _**confused**_ he was by any means possible. Kiba had been read segments from the bible, told about God, his creations and teachings, about the natural order of things which included heterosexuality, the views of society on what's right and wrong, of values, of heaven, and had been _**enlighten **_on how pursuing a relationship with another man was nothing but mindless sex that would buy him a one-way ticket to hell. She was very relentless on that matter.

By now Kiba's head was throbbing so much he felt like it was going to split in two. There were just so many new concepts that he was previously unaware of being shoved down on him. If Kiba wasn't confused before then he sure was now.

It was getting harder and harder to know what to believe as the days went by. But what scared him the most was that if Hana was right then it was probably his fault for being so affectionate that Naruto pushed him away. The possibility that the blond also thought that Kiba was _**wrong**_ hurt the brunet more than he was willing to show.

Yet there was one concept that Kiba still repeatedly failed to grasp but wanted to understand. It was something that Hana mentioned and that he also heard of in the movies he used to watch with Ino. Everyone seemed to make a big deal out of it so he felt it important to get some answers.

However there was no way he was asking Hana about it for he feared that it would only set off another hour of her ranting. Luckily today his sister went to buy the groceries leaving him alone with her fiancé. Unfortunately Kiba never felt relaxed when dealing with Juugo. Yet said guy was about to leave for work so it was now or never for Kiba.

It was not like Kiba had anything against Juugo but the brunet couldn't help but to be wary of him. Sometimes Juugo acted weird like if he was angry at something nonexistent and so completely unlike his normal serene self. The pills he took supposedly suppressed his behavior from getting any more erratic but nonetheless Kiba always kept his guard up. One can never be too cautious.

When Juugo was about to leave the house he felt someone tugging his arm and when he looked down he was surprised to see Kiba. Ever since the brunet started living with them he rarely sought anyone out and when he did it was never Juugo. So the orange haired man was understandably surprised that it was Kiba who approached him even though he already knew that they were the only two people in the house.

"Can we talk?" asked a determined Kiba completely unaware that he was giving Juugo the puppy eyes. Juugo on the other hand, being the animal lover that he was, caught Kiba's pleading eyes and was instantly affected by them. He looked at his wristwatch and concluded that he had some time to spare so he let himself be led by Kiba to the main room.

Kiba pushed Juugo to the sofa and wasted no time in dragging a chair from the dinner table and seating in front of Juugo to prevent his exit. Juugo wasn't expecting Kiba to get all serious on him but nonetheless made himself comfortable on the sofa and waited for Hana's little brother to speak.

Yet now that the brunet had Juugo just where he wanted him, the words to his question failed to escape his mouth. Hinata wasn't kidding when she said that Kiba was very receptive, and because of the daily visits of his speech instructor the tattooed male had progressed greatly so his vocabulary was no longer a problem. It was the fear that he was again doing something considered wrong what kept him from talking.

But then again Kiba was no coward. He already came this far and he didn't know when another opportunity like this one might present itself so he would be damned if he didn't risk it now. So crossing his arms over his chest in determination and giving Juugo a look that informed him he wasn't going anywhere without answering, Kiba opened his mouth to blurt out the question that bothered him the most.

"What's sex?"

"What's what now?" replied Juugo being caught completely off guard by the question.

"People have sex. I wanna know what it is." Kiba pressed his question.

"Oh boy" Juugo muttered under his breath. He started pulling the collar of his shirt as he suddenly felt like the room was becoming a whole lot stuffier. Juugo wasn't planning on having kids anytime soon, and he certainly never imagined that he would be the one to give 'the talk' to his girlfriend's brother. Talk about awkward. Yet Kiba didn't look like he was backing down without getting an answer he would be pleased with. "I definitely didn't sign up for this."

Giving his wristwatch one more look Juugo sighed and covered his face with the hand that wasn't tugging on his collar. What transcended next was probably one on the most awkward and embarrassingly improvised speeches Juugo have ever had to give in his life and he doubted he ever forget it. He felt kinda silly for it because Kiba showed no sign of discomfort as Juugo explained as detailed as he could the differences between the female and male genitalia and how after a certain age they get the urges to sexually touch others.

He also gave a brief explanation of how sexual intercourse worked by making an 'O' with one hand and using the fingers from his other hand to demonstrate how… well how penetration was achieved. Kiba just nodded like it was no big deal and opened his mouth to ask another question. But thinking better of it he stopped himself and looked away.

Juugo noticed that something was still troubling his future brother in law but it seemed that the brunet suddenly lost whatever confidence he had a minute ago. Thinking that whatever Kiba wanted to ask couldn't possibly be more awkward than his last question, Juugo encouraged Kiba to say whatever it was that he had in mind. But oh how quickly Juugo found out just how wrong he was when Kiba, albeit with some hesitancy, asked how two guys had sex.

Again Juugo couldn't help the urge to cover his face and groan in embarrassment. This was so not how he thought his day would be like when he woke up this morning. He immediately felt bad for doing so when he saw how Kiba started to shy away. The brunet was probably feeling _**wrong**_ again because of his reaction.

The older one of the two had remained quiet and uninvolved during the whole Kiba being gay fiasco because Juugo felt like it wasn't his place to get in between Hana and her brother. Nevertheless he was starting to feel sort of bad for Kiba. Hana was really going overboard with her wanting to make Kiba into her quintessential little brother that she failed to notice just how badly she was affecting said brother.

Juugo was very open-minded. Well he had to be since the orange haired man was no perfect specimen either because of his mood instability. That meant that he wasn't that quick to judge others because Juugo knew perfectly well how it felt to be treated like an outcast so he always made sure to treat other people like equals no matter their faults. That's why he berated himself for making Kiba feel abnormal.

So wanting to make it right and trying to lessen the damaged at the same time, Juugo uncovered his face and admitted to Kiba that he knew nothing about same gender sex. But before Kiba could show his disappointment with the answer Juugo was quick to add that it didn't really mattered how it was done as long as they get some kind of pleasure out of it, probably like masturbation.

When the brunet inquired about that latter subject Juugo only made brief mention of how that was just self-stimulation to achieve something akin to sex but without an actual partner by your side. That made Kiba's mind travel back to the time he caught Naruto in the bathroom with his pants down. Now that the tattooed male thought about it Naruto was probably masturbating back then but Kiba clearly remembered hearing his name coming out of the blonde's lips as he did that.

Suddenly Kiba's mood brighten when he realized that if Naruto was pleasuring himself to the brunet's name then it meant that the whiskered male was also attracted to him just like Kiba was to Naruto. And just like that most of Kiba's previous insecurities went out the window but that still didn't change the fact that Naruto gave him away without a second thought the moment he found out about Hana. Needless to say that his mood soured back just as easily.

Juugo watched the changes in Kiba's expressions before looking at his wristwatch one final time and determining that it was time to go. As he stood up and apologized to Kiba for having to leave, he made his way outside the house to go for work. Yet somehow Juugo still didn't feel satisfied because he felt like he didn't do enough to help Kiba's case. So as the orange haired man got into his car he promised himself that he would try to think of a way to solve Kiba's situation.

-_-_-_(July 5, 8:40am)-_-_-_

It had been almost three weeks since Naruto restarted his life without Kiba and he was already losing it. If the dark bags under his eyes were any indication then the blond hadn't slept well for quite sometime now. In fact today he woke up at 3 in the morning and hadn't been able to fall back asleep because of nightmares. Consequently Naruto spent the rest of the night redoing all of Kiba's puzzle games. Talk about nostalgic.

Without Kiba around the days seemed longer, the sun's heat wasn't as warm, the stars shimmered less, the flowers didn't smell as great, the food had no taste and the will to live on was pretty much nonexistent. In truth he felt pathetic.

For so long Naruto was unease about his feelings for Kiba. The blond confused the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach for anxiety and the need to get away. But now that the brunet was no longer within reach Naruto realized that it was the feeling of longing, the complete opposite of what he previously thought. The blond longed for Kiba's presence. It was ironic really, since Naruto just gave the brunet away without giving it a second thought.

'_Man I suck"_

Now that Naruto had a chance to think about it he realized that he never truly felt uncomfortable with Kiba. It was just his stupid fear of relationships that kept him from enjoying it. With the dozens of times that Kiba pinned Naruto to the floor the blond should had already realized that the brunet meant no ill intentions with his actions. How did Naruto let his fear escalade that far he may never know. All in all Naruto missed his one-time housemate and there was no use in denying it any longer.

Right now Naruto laid face up on his couch with the telephone in his hand. He wanted to call to check up on Kiba but couldn't find the courage to do so. They left on bad terms and he highly doubted that Kiba wanted to hear from him again.

Naruto also wanted to call Sakura to apologize for his earlier behavior. Keeping true to her words she hadn't showed up since their last argument. The blond had lied when he said he didn't need anyone. He always felt the need to know that someone had his back and for the longest time Sakura had been that person. Without her Naruto just didn't know what to do with himself.

He hated feeling this useless. He'll do anything to not have to deal with it right now. _'Heck I rather put up with Ino than to go through this'_ he inwardly stated and not a minute after he did so he heard someone knocking on his door.

'_I take it back,_

_I take it back,_

_I freaking take it back!'_

Naruto begrudgingly stood up to answer his door as he hoped with all his might that karma hadn't decided to be a bitch today and that the last person he wanted to see wasn't the one standing outside. Looking through the door-hole he gritted his teeth as it turned out that life really liked to screw with him. Ino Yamanaka was indeed awaiting him at the other side of the door as she practiced her facial expressions on her pocket mirror to try to look as coy as possible.

His proverbial angel and demon battled it out in order to see if he should just walk away and pretend he wasn't home or if he should open the door to listen her out. Cursing the fact that he was too much of a nice guy to do otherwise, Naruto bit his tongue to prevent another outburst and opened his door.

Ino was quick to hide her pocket mirror behind her back as she blurted out her rehearsed apology. "Look Whiskers, I just wanted to apolo-" but when she got one look at Naruto's face her sentence immediately changed to "Wow you look like shit!"

When Naruto narrowed his eyes and made a move to close the door Ino realized her slip-up.

"No, don't! It's actually not a bad thing when you think about it!" she hastened to add. "I mean imagine if I came here because I was feeling guilty and it turned out that you were already well put together and doing great. _**That **_would have been embarrassing."

"Yeah imagine that" Naruto muttered sarcastically.

"Oh stop giving me the stink eye will ya? I didn't mean for anything bad to happen and I really feel awful about it. If I didn't then I certainly wouldn't be wasting my last day here just so I can say sorry to you."

Something in that last sentence had Naruto suddenly in good spirits and he wanted to corroborate it. "Wait, you're leaving?" he asked a little more gleefully than what Ino would had preferred. But nonetheless she never turned down a chance to talk about herself.

"I am, I am! It's not like I want to brag or anything but… oh who am I kidding, of course I want to brag! I mean where's the fun if I keep it to myself, seriously!"

"Sure whatever just tell me, I'm dying for some good news." He answered dryly although in all honesty he was. If there was one face he was not going to miss seeing it was Ino's. Funny how only a minute ago he was sulking about everybody leaving him and now he couldn't wait to send this one packing.

"Well if you insist." Ino readily responded either not catching or simply not caring for Naruto's lack of enthusiasm. "Thanks to Kiba's little stunt at Neji's, I caught the attention of a talent scout called Shikamaru Nara and he offered to manage me. Apparently he's considered to be a public relations genius or so says the internet. Anyhow I'm catching the early flight tomorrow so we can discuss direction and strategy."

"Great" Naruto said without really meaning it but before he could say anything else the phone he still had on hand rang so he had to answer it. "Hello? Yeah I'm Naruto, who's asking? Juugo, yeah I remember you. No you didn't catch me at a bad time. What do you mean you sent a cab for me? Yeah I want to see him but why are you- Hey don't hang up on me! Hello? Hello? Rrrr" groaned Naruto as he turned off his phone.

"Do I even want to know?" asked Ino hoping for some last minute gossip she could tell Sakura before she left. Sure the pinkette might act like she's not interested but Ino knew that deep down Sakura was dying to hear some news about how Naruto was doing.

Naruto looked passed Ino before rushing off to his room to get his jacket. When he emerged again he ran passed Ino, accidentally knocked down the landlord who was heading his way, and practically jumped down the flights of stairs to get to a yellow taxi at the bottom.

Ino for one didn't appreciated being cast aside so she yelled after him to give her an explanation. Although all she got as a response was Naruto shouting Kiba's name, that one word was enough to suffice.

Hearing a long line of curses beside her, Ino turned to help the old man Naruto knocked down get up on his feet.

"Damn rascal, just wait until he gets back" muttered the landlord as he rubbed his aching rear before turning to Ino. "Are you by any chance that boy's girlfriend?"

Ino looked appalled by the fact that this old geezer could even suggest such a thing but then the glint in her eye came back when she realized this was her one chance to learn more about Naruto since Sakura never elaborated on anything Naruto-related. She smirked deceitfully because there was no way she was going to let this opportunity pass her by. "And if I was?"

* * *

Kiba absentmindedly stroke Akamaru's fur as he thought over his newest disappointment. Apparently his case was too problematic so Hana was sending him away to some religious camp where they would make him a better individual. His belongings were already packed and everything. It seemed like no matter where he went he wasn't good enough for anyone.

His sister was on the phone arranging the final preparations for his departure when all of the sudden the doorbell rang. Kiba normally thought nothing of it until Juugo smiled and told him to answer the door. That had never happened before, and in the back of Kiba's mind he resentfully knew it was because no one trusted him enough to handle people.

So grateful that at least someone showed a little faith in him, the brunet wasted no time in putting Akamaru down and eagerly heading to complete his task. But when he opened the door his eagerness went completely down the drain as he saw nothing but blue eyes staring back at him.

Naruto was equally surprised but less startled to see Kiba at the door since the blond already knew that their encounter was inevitable. So recomposing himself faster than the motionless brunet, Naruto tried to make light of the situation.

"Hi there buddy" the blond greeted lightheartedly while scratching the top of his head nervously. "Are you going to invite me in or are we going to stand here all day?"

Shaking himself out of his earlier stupor Kiba glared at Naruto's attempt at humor. "Not funny" Kiba replied unappreciatively as he moved away from the door to let the blond inside.

"Guess you're still mad at me huh?" Naruto lamented at the lack of a warm reception. Kiba felt no need to respond the obvious and instead walked away to the main room without bothering to see if Naruto followed in tow. The brunet was determined to not succumbed to his desire to glomp Naruto and show him just how much he was actually missed. That would only make things worst with his sister and besides; it wasn't like Naruto deserved it in the first place.

Hana poked her head out to see who was at the door and scowled when she saw Naruto walking in. But before she could say anything Juugo beat her to it by welcoming his guest with open arms.

The girl immediately hissed at her fiancé while she covered the mouthpiece of her phone with her hand. "What is _**he**_ doing here?" She commanded an explanation quietly enough for only Juugo to hear.

"I invited him over" he answered in an equally hushed tone.

"How could you? You know he's the reason why Kiba turned out like this don't you? This will only make things worse!"

"He is also the sole reason you even have a brother in the first place so be nice." Juugo argued before purposely saying the next part loud enough for Naruto to hear. "Besides I thought it would only be fitting to give them a chance to make amends before Kiba goes away."

"Kiba is going away?" asked the blond out loud as he turned to look at Kiba. The brunet immediately looked away embarrassed that Naruto caught him staring. The whiskered male smiled figuring out by the small display that Kiba still wanted him before turning serious and facing Hana as he waited for a response.

"That's none of you business." stated Hana yet her right eye twitched when Juugo answered anyway, "To a camp that helps God's children whom strayed from the path."

"Strayed from what path? What exactly does Kiba needs help with?" Naruto questioned apprehensively already not liking where the conversation was going.

Hana immediately glared at Juugo daring him to answer. Juugo's sweat dropped because he could tell that Hana figured out his intentions. Her eyes promised punishment if he dared say another word. If anything Juugo was prepared to excused his actions by saying something along the lines of only wanting to get her mind off things so she could focus more on their incoming wedding.

Yet all that proved fruitless as it was Kiba who supplied the answer. "Hana wants to cure me from my homosexuality so I won't have to go to hell." He said repeating his sister's explanation for her actions. Kiba then pretended to find the wall more interesting because he didn't want to see Naruto's reaction to his indirect confession.

Naruto's eyes widen in shock when he heard the tattooed male produce such a long sentence without difficulty. But then his jaw slackened when he processed what was said. _'Kiba is gay??? Wait, Hana is doing what?!'_

The blond then stared at Hana like if she had grown a second head. "You're sending Kiba away just because of that?" he asked unable to comprehend why someone would do something like that to her only brother.

"Of course I am!" she sternly replied. "What's so wrong about me wanting my little brother to be normal? You have no say in it anyway so butt out."

Anger and frustration pretty much bubbled inside Naruto at the end of her statement. Her words brought up unclosed emotional wounds from when his foster family rejected him years ago.

"I can't believe you. Here you have a chance millions would die for to be reunited with someone you thought lost and you want to give that away because he didn't turn out to be the picture perfect brother you wanted?" Naruto preached/shouted. He knew he was letting his emotions get the best of him but for once he didn't care as he continued to make his point.

"You should be happy with the fact that you even have a family. That itself should be enough to make you want to cherish every moment you have with your brother to make up for all the time you lost. But you, you are just sending him away and taking everything for grated!"

At this point Hana looked like she wanted to protest but Naruto didn't let her. He still hadn't finished yet, "And another thing! I may not have any say in this but Kiba does. In case you forgotten he is already over 18 years old and can legally make his own decisions."

Kiba's ears perked up when he heard that he wasn't obligated to go to the camp if he didn't want to because of his age. That was something that his sister failed to mention.

"I- well- I" Hana struggled for a good comeback that would shut Naruto up like she did last time he was here. She smiled smugly when she thought of one. "This is my house and as long as he lives here he'll have to abide by my rules."

Yet as Hana was about to find out Naruto wasn't called the king of smack-talk in high school for nothing. The blond turned to face Kiba and asked him if he wanted to be sent away. When the brunet shook his head 'no' Naruto turned back to Hana and gave her a smug smirk of his own.

"Then it's settled, Kiba is going back to living with me and there's nothing you can say about it because he is adult enough to make his own choices."

'_Oh yeah baby you just got burned by the master in your own game, believe it!'_ the blond inwardly exclaimed.

"You can't do that!" she argued lamely.

"Watch me!" retorted Naruto. Giving no chance for Hana to retaliate, he grabbed Kiba by the arm and pulled him outside intent on making a swift exit. Yet Naruto completely failed to take into account Kiba's own feelings on the matter and that was why once they were outside Kiba yanked his arm away from the blond.

"What's the matter Kiba?" asked Naruto staring stupidly at the brunet. "Come on let's go, you're ruining our dramatic exit." He said while trying to grab Kiba's arm only for the brunet to pull away again. If there was ever a time to make a stance then this was it for the tattooed male.

"Do you really want me to go back with you?" Kiba questioned defiantly. If Naruto thought that the brunet was just going to let the blond toss him and then pick him up whenever he wanted then Naruto had another thing coming.

"What d you mean? I'm offering you to come back with me aren't I?"

"That's not it and you know it!" Kiba exclaimed stubbornly much to Naruto's puzzlement. Kiba's dark eyes bored into Naruto's blue ones as he made his insecurities known. "Are you sure you want to be with me or are you going to shove me away to the next person that comes. I want the truth!"

Naruto looked away finally realizing that he was again acting on impulse without thinking things through. The last time he did that he brought Kiba home from the forest and promised him to be his friend and we all know how badly that ended.

But thinking back on it Naruto regretted nothing. The only thing he wished he could change was the fact that he voluntarily gave Kiba away. Yet that's exactly why he was here, to make things right. So without further doubt he faced Kiba once more, this time fully aware of the weight of his words.

"More than anything" he answered sincerely. "Life at home plainly sucks without you, no joke. And I, well I miss you buddy so what do you say. Gimme another chance?" he asked hopefully.

Kiba pretended to take it into consideration even though his mind was already made up but then he remembered what Ino told him people should do when going in and out of places. Thinking of it as the best way to test the truth behind Naruto's words, Kiba stretched his hand out for Naruto to take.

Naruto stared at the hand quizzically before extending his own to shake it. Kiba rolled his eyes disapprovingly at this and pulled the whiskered one closer. Then he grabbed the other's hand and intertwined their fingers so they were now holding hands. The brunet looked proud at his handiwork while Naruto fought the urge to jolt away. He was not going to let his fears get the best of him this time around.

"Now I forgive you" said Kiba giving the blond his first smile since they reencountered. It was his big grin that was wide enough to show his prolonged canines. The fact that Kiba only directed that smile at him made Naruto's heart fluttered.

However before anything else could take place Juugo stepped in and broke the moment between them by shoving a suitcase to each of them. "Now aren't we lucky that Kiba's things were already packed" he said amused by the scene he walked into. "I took the liberty of also packing Kiba's card id for his health plan, his birth certificate, his social security number and everything else he could possibly need to prove that he is a documented citizen and not some illegal immigrant. Just in case." he finished with a wink.

Naruto and Kiba stared at each other before looking back at Juugo and coming to the same conclusion. The orange haired man was nothing like they expected him to be. He definitely gave new meaning to the proverb _**don't judge a book by its cover**_. Both Kiba and Naruto thanked Juugo for his help before getting in the cab to be driven back to Konoha.

As Juugo waved goodbye until the taxi disappeared from eyesight, Hana quietly walked to stand by his side while cradling a dog in her arms.

"He left Akamaru behind" was all she said.

Juugo gazed down at his wife-to-be and offered her a small comforting smile. "Maybe that's Kiba's way of telling you he wishes to see you again." he said taking a wild guess.

"Perhaps" Hana answered quietly. A minute passed in silence before she looked up at her boyfriend. "Do you think I was too hard on Kiba?" she asked but before Juugo could answer Hana shook her head. "No, don't answer. I already know. That boy Naruto was right; I should have been a better sister."

The man wrapped an arm around his woman as he petted the puppy in her arms. "If anything, I think that today proved that it's never too late to say sorry."

Hana nodded and lifted the dog enough to be in front of her face. "What do you say Akamaru. Are you up to see your master again?"

The dog just wagged its tail and yipped approvingly. It seems like this tale wasn't over yet.

* * *

**A/N:**_ This chapter was actually supposed to end after Ino appeared to keep the drama and suspense high. But like I now officially started my college year and didn't know how frequent I will be able to update I decided to not leave you guys with a cliffhanger and finish the Hana saga once and for all. Yep, I'm a giver like that XD_

_Now Kiba and Naruto are officially back together again. And now with Sakura (will come back in due time), Ino (has one last scene before going byebye) and Gaara (won't come back until the epilogue just like Shino and Hinata) temporarily out of the way, and with everybody clear on their sexuality, expect the KibaNaru goodness to begin! ^^_


	13. A Life That Needed Saving

**A/N: **_Man, I keep saying that I won't write long chapters again and then this monster happens! Seriously thought about cutting it in half and making it a 2 part thing but then the flow wouldn't have been right so I dismissed the idea. Anyways I tried to clear as many plot-holes as possible in this update. Enjoy!_

**A/N2: **_This story just received a fan-art and I really like it and think you should go see it as well. Go to the end of my profile page to click the link if you're interested _XD

**Warning: **_Flashbacks! (bwahahahahahaha!)_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything but the plot and the particular phrasing of words that comprise this story; _and even then there will still be people out wanting to take that away from me too._

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 13: A Life That Needed Saving**

"Yahoo!" exclaimed a beyond happy brunet as he raced up the flights of stairs two steps at a time. The blond behind him was also climbing at a fast pace while chuckling at his friend's enthusiasm. It was late in the afternoon when Kiba and Naruto finally arrived at their apartment and neither could wait to settle down and restart their lives together again once and for all.

But once they entered their living quarters they heard sounds of gunfire and metal clanging coming out of the living room. Naruto quickly dropped the suitcases he was carrying and rushed to see what the commotion was all about only to see Ino unceremoniously sprawled on his couch. She was watching an action movie with the volume turned up to the highest possible.

"Oh hey Whiskers!" she greeted between mouthfuls of the popcorn she found in Naruto's cabinet. "Don't mind me; I'm just making myself at home."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he marched up to the coffee table, picked up the controller and turned off the electronic machine. Taking a breather before turning to face Ino, he demanded an explanation. "Why are you here?"

The girl in question rolled her eyes at Naruto's pointed glare. "Give it a rest Whiskers, that look doesn't fit you. And besides…" she said giving him her wink and smirk combo, "Is that how you thank someone who does you a favor?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her statement but made no effort to soften his imposing look. Ino simply giggled to show she was unaffected by his intimidation tactics. She then sat up straight and leaned forward in a counter effort to make him feel uncomfortable with their closeness.

When she saw that she had no effect whatsoever on the other blond she yielded back a little disappointment at her failure and decided to elaborate on her earlier proclamation.

"Pfff Whiskers don't look so aggravated, you're no fun. It was you who literally ran out of here without locking your door. You should feel lucky that little old me decided to watch the place for you until you came. I had other things I rather had done than being cooped up in here you know."

Having the decency to look a little guilty at his forgetfulness didn't stop Naruto from wanting to have the last word. Unfortunately he didn't get the chance to do so as Ino suddenly squealed when her blue eyes landed on the brunet figure trailing behind Naruto.

"Kiba!" she cheered as she swiftly made her way to latch herself around Kiba's form in a welcoming hug. Definitely a far cry from the treatment Naruto received. Kiba almost dropped his luggage because of the force of the impact created by the girl currently lashed on him.

But before Kiba could reciprocate the greeting, Ino separated herself from him and stood at arm's length so that she could appreciate the view.

"Wow" Ino said as her eyes roamed Kiba's body in appreciation. Naruto had previously done the same thing but way less obvious than Ino's indiscreet method. "You're finally wearing clothes that fit you!"

Kiba in return couldn't help but to grin at her comment. He liked being appraised. And it was true. Just like Ino had pointed out Kiba was wearing a sleeveless college shirt that was actually his size and wasn't exaggeratedly loose like he used to wear them. Although he was still wearing shorts, they were nice quality khakis instead of sport pants. In Ino's eyes those were a definite plus because he no longer looked sluggish.

Additionally to that Kiba was wearing over his left hand the chained leather wristband that all the cool fellas in town had on. And to top it off he was wearing sneakers! True, they lacked shoelaces but were in style nonetheless. The brunet's look was certainly a lot more tamed than what it was 3 weeks ago.

"Upgrade!" she declared before tilting her head to Naruto's direction, "Maybe you could give Whiskers here the style tips he so desperately needs."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly. But then he backpedaled because didn't want to give Ino the satisfaction of seeing him riled up. So after willing himself to sound as indifferent as possible, Naruto casually let Ino know that her services were no longer required.

"If you're done here then just go ahead and leave already. I'm sure you know your way out."

Not wanting to look putout Ino turned her back at Kiba in favor of resting a hand on her hip and smirking defiantly at Naruto, their blue eyes engaging in a battle of wills.

She had to hand it to Naruto for always keeping his guard up. No wonder she had such a tough time reading him most of the time. It was like he was constantly on his toes ready to tackle whatever opposition he may encounter. Ino had never met such a praiseworthy character like Naruto.

It was a real shame that his efforts were futile though. She still had some unfinished business with him, and more importantly with Kiba.

"Your landlord stopped by earlier today" said Ino completely bypassing Naruto's guard with the random subject change. "He had a message he wanted me to convey to you." Ino astutely chose to omit the part about she having to fake being Naruto's girlfriend to get this information because she considered it of no consequence and therefore irrelevant.

"Darn" Naruto grumbled. "What did old man Tazuna want this time? I already paid the maintenance fee."

"Oh nothing much" informed Ino slightly noticing how Naruto's animosity diverted away from her. "He just wanted to offer you a construction job on some lake bridge. Said he wouldn't charge you next month bill as payment."

"Really?" asked Naruto, his features softening up. "That's great! Guess I'll have to talk to him about it later."

Kiba, wanting to be helpful by not becoming a burden, decided to pitch in by making a suggestion. "I can work too." He alleged sounding understandably unsure since he didn't know exactly what the job entitled.

"Hmm" muttered Naruto as he considered the idea. "Ya know that actually ain't a bad idea. You're definitely qualified enough to at least do the heavy lifting. Maybe I can convince him to knock me off another month by recruiting you too. Yeah I'll do just that when I see him tomorrow!"

The enthusiastic answer made Kiba beam happily because it meant that Naruto saw him as reliable. Because smiles were contagious, Naruto found himself grinning ear to ear back at the brunet. Needless to say that Ino took note of the exchange before putting her two cents in.

"Or you could talk to him now" declared the girl. "The old geezer said that he was holding a meeting at 5 o'clock and that it was mandatory for all residents to attend it. That's only 10 minutes from now by the way."

"Crap" whined Naruto under his breath, "Figures that just when I wanted nothing more than to get some rest I have to go out again."

That made Ino giggle a bit and for a second she was unable to believe that they were actually having a conversation without arguing. It was a tad too late in the game to get friendly with each other, since she was leaving tomorrow and all, but nevertheless it wasn't an unwelcomed change. Though all good things came to an end the moment Ino opened her mouth next.

"No biggie, I'll watch over Kiba while you are out if that's what you are worried about." joked the girl except suddenly nobody was laughing. "What?" she asked not liking the eerie silence that followed.

"Do you really have to ask?" questioned Naruto giving her a flat stare.

"Oh don't tell me you're still sore about what happened last time Whiskers? I already apologized for that."

"Hmp, whatever" stated Naruto as he nonchalantly shuffled his house keys. "Guess it can't be helped."

That's when Kiba interjected in the conversation between the blondes. "I don't need to be watched." said the brunet not liking one bit that they didn't trust him enough to think that he could take care of himself.

"Don't be like that" pouted Ino quickly assessing the situation and playing it to her favor. She attached herself to Kiba's arm to up the effect of her guilt-trip. "Think of it as our chance to catch up. Who knows when we'll see each other again."

Kiba tilted his chin up and looked away yet he was already snarled by her brilliant execution. "Fine, but only for today."

"Awesome!" Ino cheered quickly dropping her tear-jerking act and moving to push Naruto out of the place. "Go on Whiskers, you wouldn't want to be late now would you?"

"Alright, alright! Sheesh, stop shoving already." complained Naruto as Ino continued to direct him toward the door. He looked over his shoulder to address Kiba once more. "Remember that this is your home now so make yourself comfortable. I'll only be gone for a little while."

"Yeah yeah, he gets it" interjected Ino as she gave Naruto one last shoved before closing the door behind him. "Excellent" she mumbled to herself as a wicked smile stretched on her lips. Everything was going according to plan. She was even tempted to say it was going better than what she expected.

Truth was that Ino never really stayed in Naruto's apartment in the first place. There was no real need of it since she had already borrowed Sakura's spare key to begin with. She had it under her possession from the very start just in case Naruto had refused to see her.

That morning when she saw Naruto rushing out to Kiba's place, her female intuition told her, among other things, that there was a big possibility that the man with the red triangular tattoos might be coming back.

So already knowing how long the car trip took, Ino figured that she had at least six hours to finish all her other diligences. More than enough time if you asked her. Hence she locked Naruto's door and went to attend her other affairs only to come back 15 minutes before the guest of honor returned to his home.

She cut it close but Naruto didn't seem to notice. Ino mentally congratulated herself for the popcorn idea, it was a nice touch. But enough of the details, her real mission officially starts now.

By faking to be Naruto's girlfriend she learned from Tazuna that Naruto wasn't very well off economically speaking. The student loan covered his college expenses but everything else Naruto had to paid for it. He made his due from odd jobs here and there but even that wasn't enough to live comfortably.

To be perfectly honest she thought that the old geezer was a cheap ass for only offering to relieve Naruto of his rent for one month but the blond male seemed static about it. That really put things in perspective for her.

The ponytailed girl would had never guess Naruto's financial problems otherwise. Since she knew that Naruto and Sakura went to the same high school she kinda assumed that Naruto was just as well of as Sakura who had a trust fund that would guarantee the pinkette a comfy lifestyle for the rest of her days. Not to mention that Naruto was friends with elites such as Hinata, Shino and Tenten.

No wonder Naruto didn't follow up on the latest fashions trends; he couldn't afford it. She was glad her eyes never fixated on him. She didn't want to pay for their dates. Which brings her to her other revelation. Even if she had wanted to date Naruto it would have never happened. Naruto was gay, she was sure of it.

Ino had been playing with that idea ever since that time she saw him blush when Kiba and her pull that prank on him (the one where Kiba recited movie lines on Naruto). The way Naruto looked destroyed when Kiba was away and the way Naruto suddenly rushed to Kiba's side earlier this morning further confirmed her suspicions.

Willing to give Naruto the benefit of the doubt she gave him one last test. While they were arguing only minutes ago she had purposely leaned forward in a way that showed a lot of cleavage but not once did his eyes trailed away from her face.

Not only that but she noticed how his blue eyes roamed Kiba's body without the brunet having to do anything. There was no more doubt in Ino's mind. Naruto wasn't only gay, something the ponytailed girl suspected that Sakura already knew but refused to share with her, but he was also gay for Kiba.

Because of her days as a pageant girl Ino was constantly surrounded by gay people. But unlike any of them, Naruto wasn't girly or flamboyant. In fact he was very manly with a certain boyish charm to him.

In all honesty Ino would have never figured it out if she hadn't been looking for it. Naruto was so good at hiding it that it was no wonder that none of his closest friends had caught on yet.

Knowing that she alone had unveiled something that others overlooked because of their ignorance made the girl feel brilliant. Maybe if all else failed she could have a career as a detective. Information was power, she knew that.

All the bad jokes she could make, all of the pranks she could pull, so much to do, so little time. Fortunately she had one more ace up her sleeve just in case her suspicions proved true. Now the only question left asking was if Kiba felt the same.

This was going to be fun.

Kiba, unlike Naruto, was pretty open about his feelings and it didn't hurt any that Ino had already won his trust. So speaking in theory, getting an answer from Kiba would be a piece of cake. At least that was what she hoped.

Of course there were a few drawbacks depending on his answer. If Kiba answered _**un**_favorably then he would be against going through with her suggestions and things might get awkward. On the other if Kiba _**did **_answer favorably then she would've forever lost on a good deal. It was no secret that Ino found Kiba hot so it would be a real shame to lose what she considered delicious mancandy.

Yet whichever the case might be she knew that it wasn't her choice to make. Therefore she preferred to get everything out in the open now than to delude herself with feeble assumptions with no basis later.

Making her way back to Kiba, she found him quietly sitting on the couch while eyeing Naruto's bedroom door. Something told her that she already had the answer but it never hurt to verify. She stood there watching him with a devious grin on her face for little while longer before going in for the kill.

"You're thinking about Naruto, aren't ya?" she asked quirkily as to not alarm him of her intentions.

"W-What? No, I-I'm not thinking about N-Naruto" stuttered the brunet while blushing and avoiding eye contact. A dead giveaway that he was lying.

Ino resisted the urge giggle at such a cute display. Kiba looked so embarrassed. He obviously had no experience at the lying department because of how bad he was at it. But one thing did bothered Ino though. Why would Kiba lie in the first place? It was so unlike him.

"Oh come on sweetheart be honest, Naruto is all you ever used to talk about." she said playfully as she tried to win him over. "So tell me, do you like him? Like really like him like the want-to-be-with-him-for-the-rest-of-your-life kind of like?"

The only answer she got was Kiba placing a cushion on his lap and burying his face in it. Definitely a far cry from the reaction she was expecting.

In truth Kiba was debating in his head whether to answer truthfully or not. He had a very bad experience the last time he confessed his feelings and he was scared of having a repeat. He wanted to tell Ino how he felt because he thought she was a nice person but he also thought that Hana was nice and we all know how that turned out.

Basically Kiba was afraid that if he told Ino she would react the same way his sister did. Both Ino and Hana were girls and they favored the ponytail. So by Kiba's logic what was to stop them from having the same opinions about homosexuality? He didn't want to risk losing a friend over something like that.

While Hinata and Shino helped him on academic stuff and Sakura taught him how to behave, it was Ino who made sure that Kiba was always having fun. So understandably he'll do anything to keep such a special friend like her.

The uncomfortable air around them was so palpable that Ino didn't need to strain herself to take notice. It rubbed her the wrong way and for a minute she wondered what the heck happened over the 3-week-expand to make Kiba act so introverted. It suddenly made her want to comfort him.

So walking the rest of the way to sit next to the brunet, she started rubbing soothing circles around his back as she tried to get him to open up.

"No need to be shy about it, I promise I won't freak out. I'm your friend aren't I?"

"Best friend" Kiba mumbled into the cushion making Ino laugh.

"Yes, best friend" she said playing along to make him feel at ease. "And best friends trust each other with all kind of things so tell me Kiba, do you like Whiskers?"

"Promise not to hate me?" he asked hopefully, face still buried in cushion.

"Cross my heart" Ino replied good-humoredly.

"…I love him."

At his confession Ino crossed her arms over her chest and nodded to herself assuredly, "Thought so." Then smirking victoriously she clapped her hands together feeling ready for phase two of her plan. "Well now that the cat is out of the bag we can finally get down to business!"

Kiba lifted his head to look at her funny for her cheery disposition. Her reaction to the news was so abnormal to him right now that he couldn't help to question her.

"Don't you think I'm _**wrong**_? Hana said that it is bad for me to like another guy. Aren't you going to reject me too?"

"Reject you? Is this what all this was about?" asked Ino wrinkling her nose. "I don't know who this Hana person you are talking about is but it seems to me that she is the one with the problems. Trust me Kiba, there is nothing wrong with liking whoever you want. If anything is your taste in men what's questionable." she stated gingerly adding the last part as an afterthought referring to Naruto.

"So I'm not bad?"

"Puh lease!" she retorted. "I'm the one who is shallow and conniving. Trust me, between you and me, I got you beat by a landslide. So no more of this business about hiding who you truly are, it ain't cute. Got it?"

"Got it!" responded Kiba giving her his toothy grin.

"Excellent!" she said standing up and moving to the table where she left her bag. "Now Kiba, to prove to you just how much I'm on your side I brought something that might help you in the long run."

"What's that?" Kiba asked; his curiosity already picked.

"You'll see" the girl teased.

As Ino rummaged through her bag she reflected on her situation. She had a plane to catch tomorrow morning and it might be months before she returned to this part of Konoha. The blonde girl was definitely going to miss her bi-weekly trips to the salon with Neji and really miss her roommate Sakura. But now she realized that she was going to miss Kiba too.

The tattooed male had wormed his way into her heart and now she was going to have to leave him behind the day after he told her that he considered her his best friend. Somehow it just felt wrong to abandon him after that. Ino knew that Kiba was just now starting to get how the real world worked so she didn't want him to face disappointments right out the gate. Ideally speaking, this was the perfect time to give him one final lesson to remember her by.

Although it was a gamble on her part since she wasn't entirely sure where either Kiba or Naruto stood, she was now glad she stopped at the shop to rent those movies. Sure she charged it to Sakura's debit card but it couldn't be helped, there was no way Ino was going to risk having her purchases traced back to her. After all she needed a clean slate to further her career. Sakura would understand.

Moreover because of her earlier talk with the landlord, Ino knew that Naruto wouldn't be coming back for at least three hours. That gave her plenty of time to instruct Kiba his final life lesson. By the way things were progressing it was just a matter of time before Kiba had to engage in certain activities and Ino wanted her boy to be on top of his game for when it came. And it was up to her to prepare him for such a task.

"Say Kiba you really like Naruto right?" she asked without really waiting for an answer. "And I'm guessing you want to make him happy too, am I correct?"

Kiba nodded, not that she saw, but before he had a chance to say anything Ino turned around with her hands behind her back hiding whatever it was that she had taken out of her bag.

Ino let out a wicked smirk as she strutted her way back to Kiba. "Well my friend, here in the palm of my hands I hold what will be to you the Holy Grail!"

And before he knew it Ino had shoved two DVD's into his hands. Kiba didn't know it yet because he couldn't read, but right now he was holding the finest gay porn in the market.

Ino giggled at his oblivious face and asked the rhetorical question. "Are you ready to learn the ABC's of love?"

-_-_-_(3 Hours Later)-_-_-_

Naruto grumbled as he made his way back to his apartment. The assembly lasted way longer than what he cared for and now his head was aching. He desperately needed a goodnight sleep to refuel.

Munching on the final piece of his chocolate bar he entered his home and went directly to the living room to access the damage. Surprisingly he only found Ino picking up her things and putting them in her purse. He heard the shower running so he guessed Kiba was taking a bath.

When Ino finished with her stuff and turned around to leave, Naruto was taken aback when he saw her flushing an impossible shade of red he had only seen on Hinata. But what baffled him the most was the way she placed a hand on his shoulder, offered him a sly grin, and told him she better hear no complains on his part, before showing herself out.

That small transaction between then left Naruto wondering two things: _'What was Ino on about?'_ and _'Do I really want to know?'_

Deciding that the scenario was not worth the trouble since he guessed Ino was only playing mind games on him, Naruto just went ahead to his room for a change of clothes. Putting on a white t-shirt and some shorts the blond male let himself relax under his bed sheets until he heard someone knocking on his door.

Naruto's face brightened instantly. "Come in!"

Kiba opened the door slightly, just enough to poke his head in, and wished Naruto goodnight. The blonde chuckled and patted his bed inviting Kiba in. He blinked, startled with the proposal, and stared at Naruto with widening eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked tentatively.

"Positive!" Naruto replied grinning widely, "You didn't actually think that I was going to make you sleep on the couch again did you?"

Kiba needed no further reassurance as he eagerly jumped on Naruto's bed and got under the sheets with him. During his trek to the bed Naruto was able to see that the brunet was also wearing a white t-shirt and surprise surprise, undergarments! You read right, Kiba was wearing black boxers which meant he no longer went commando. Naruto felt a little relieved at that.

The brunet propped himself up with one elbow and turned to his side so he could smile wholeheartedly at the blond. "You're my favorite person, did you know that?"

"D-Do you mean that?" asked Naruto also turning on his side and willing his blush down. He was still getting accustomed to Kiba speaking full sentences.

"Yep, I wanted to tell you that for the longest time now!" affirmed Kiba enthusiastically. Now that he knew how to express himself more clearly he was going to make sure to tell Naruto everything he felt at every opportunity he got.

Naruto lowered his gaze in shame because he knew he didn't deserve to have such a declaration directed at him. "How can you say that after I tried to get rid of you? I don't get how you could even forgive me after that, much less trust me."

Kiba in return flopped back down on the bed so he could meet Naruto's eyes again. "Because to save me Naruto. Even though I was alive I didn't really live until I met you. That's why I always want to be with you no matter what."

When the brunet got no response he covered the bottom half of his face with the bed sheets and timidly scooted closer to the blond. "Naruto" he said trying to get the other's attention, "Why did you do it?" he asked. "Why do you want to push people away so bad? Don't you like us?"

By -us- Kiba meant Sakura, Ino and the others. It seemed like Naruto always kept them at bay and Kiba was naturally curious as to why. Surely Naruto couldn't be _**that**_ scared of people. And of his friends no less. It just didn't add up.

"Of course I like you!" muttered Naruto still avoiding eye contact. "You're important to me. I too wasn't really alive until I met you."

The blond confessed that last part in hushed tones but brunet still heard it. The tattooed male tried to touch the other's hand but Naruto pulled his away. The scarred male took a deep breath before finally meeting Kiba's gaze, determination shining through his blue eyes.

"If it's true that you really plan on staying here with me then I think there are a few things about me you should know first. You're always so open with me that it wouldn't fair to you if I didn't tell you. Afterwards it is up to you to decide if I really am worth the trouble. Understand?"

After Kiba nodded reassuringly, Naruto offered him a grateful smile before continuing. "Like for instance, did you know that my name wasn't always Naruto Uzumaki?"

-_-_-_(Dive into the Past)-_-_-_

_Once upon a time there was a boy named Naruto Namikaze, the one and only child of proud parents Minato and Kushina._

_His dad was a financial guru and worked the stock markets like if it was his playground. Meanwhile his mom had a knack for real state, always buying and selling properties just in the nick of time when the prices were at their best._

_They were very well off and consequently very busy people. That's why they hired a nanny to take care of their son as they spent all day attending their jobs. In most cases Naruto was already asleep by the time either of them came back home._

_Kushina and Minato wanted their son to have everything his heart desired. Since both had come from less than fortunate households they worked hard because they didn't want Naruto to go through the same._

_They would make sure that their son could afford any and every opportunity that was presented to him without ever having to feel limited. Naruto deserved it all and they planned on giving it to him._

_But what both of them failed to consider was that in doing so they were depriving their child from growing up in a loving environment. It didn't occur to them that Naruto would have much preferred to have a chance to actually spend time with his parents. Even having the chance to say 'good morning' and 'good night' to them on daily basis would have sufficed._

_Maybe then the catastrophe that followed could have been avoided. _

_As mentioned beforehand, it was a hired nanny who took full-timed responsibility of the child. To this date and time Naruto still didn't remember her name. All he knew was that the police files described her as 'The Kyuubi'. _

_What Naruto did remember was that she was very tall for a woman, had tan skin and vibrant red shoulder length hair and red eyes to match it, looked to be in her early twenties, and had a potty mouth that cursed at anything and everything (never in front of her employers of course). She was a cunning fox that one._

_Yet even with her faults she was the only one who really paid any real attention to Naruto. Arguably that was only because it was in her job description to do so but that was not something a child of Naruto's age looked into._

_Needless to say that because of that and the fact that his nanny always played with him, Naruto grew more loyalty toward her than he did toward the parents he rarely saw. That was why when he caught her one night trying to open the safe where all of his parent's money was stashed he didn't say anything to them. Instead Naruto thought he could turn it into another game._

_You see Minato was his own bank, so everything the family ever earned was stored away in their own home. And there was no way the nanny would be able to reach it without setting off at least two of the many alarms in place. The only way was by using the correct combination. One that Naruto happened to know._

_The 'Kyuubi' had excused herself by saying she just wanted to clean the inside of the safe and Naruto in all his innocence believed her. Not once did he question the double meaning of 'cleaning out the safe'. So the 5 year old proposed that if she tucked him into bed and read him a bedtime story then he would tell her the combination to the safe._

_His nanny smirked at him and told Naruto that he just had won the right to be spared. He didn't know what she meant by it at the time so he naively smiled back and trotted his way back to his room to pick out his favorite storybook for the nanny to read. Of course she made Naruto tell her the combination before reading to him since there was no point in her waking him up right after he had fallen to sleep._

_It was only an hour later that Naruto woke up again because he had to use the bathroom. In truth that was the reason he had woken up earlier but he somehow forgotten about it when he encountered the nanny. _

_Just like last time Naruto got out of his bed and headed to the bathroom at the other side of the house. Even though he already had a bathroom connected to his room, Naruto liked using the other bathroom because it had a frog shaped toilet seat. However as he made his way to it he found the door to the safe wide open. He went to close it but was shocked when he saw that nothing was inside._

_It was then that he heard the start of an engine thus he ran to the front door to catch his nanny getting inside her car, apparently ready to leave. He immediately ran to her side and started banging on her door as he cried and yelled at her not to go._

_She lowered her window and ruffled his blond hair playfully. He looked up at her with teary eyes as she smiled and left him some parting words. "Sorry kit but I go where the wind takes me. But since I like you so much here's a little advice for future reference; don't trust in anyone but yourself and you'll be fine. Later brat!"_

_And with that she left never to be seen again. Naruto wasted no time in rushing back inside and heading to his parents' room. Not because he cared of the money that was stolen but because he wanted his parents to somehow make his nanny come back so they could play together some more. _

_He was already a ball of tears by the time he got to Minato's and Kushina's room, but when he jumped on their bed to wake them up he froze. The sight before him was too much to take for someone his age. That being quite the statement since all he really saw was the color red._

_Naruto Namikaze was only five years old when he faced his first betrayal. Not only did the person he most trusted robbed him into poverty, but as the petrified child could tell as he stared at the motionless bodies in front of him, the blond boy was also robbed of his parents._

_The 'Kyuubi' was the name the police had used to describe her. She was an international criminal that had successfully escaped the law by continuously changing her image and making sure to always cover her tracks. In fact no one knew for sure if she was really a woman in the first place since her look was so androgynous it was hard to tell. No traces or witnesses were ever left behind, Naruto being the only exception to the rule._

_Because he lacked any other relatives to take him in, Naruto was placed in a foster home. Homura and Koharu were an old married couple pushing into their 60's who had never had children. The story of the child that lived poked at their interest so they seized the opportunity to have temporary guardianship of said boy._

_Naruto was treated like a god luck charm by them, as something to show and tell. Psychiatric counseling was something that was highly recommended for them to help Naruto cope with the drastic change in his life but they didn't go through with it. To them the fact that the five year old was eating without trouble was enough for them to deem that he had already moved on. So bye bye extra expenses._

_The problem was that the child was in fact __**very **__shaken by it. How could he not when he knew that he was partly responsible for his parents' deaths? Naruto just didn't want to show it in public. But when he was alone it was a whole different story as the boy did nothing but cry into his pillow every night for a month. _

_Naruto became very cautious about who he placed his trust into too. If there was one thing that past experience showed him was that the ones who gave you the time of day only did it because they wanted something from you, not because they liked you._

_Because of that same principle he already knew not to count on his foster parents. They were practically oozing with ulterior motives. Naruto's new attitude didn't really change once he got enrolled into a private school because he didn't trust anyone there either. They all knew of his situation and pretended to be nice around him. But Naruto knew once he turned around that all they did was point at him and make catty jokes about him being raised by old people that didn't even bothered to properly adopt him. _

_The blond boy was through with people that were fake with him. That's why he didn't bother to befriend any of his fellow students. Well, at least that's how it was until he met Sakura._

_Sakura Haruno was unlike any of the other students. When she didn't give a damn about you she literarily didn't give a damn about you. She didn't hide it nor was polite about it, and she couldn't care less about what you thought of it. The pinkette wasn't fake or plastic, she was just a plain mean girl that made no effort in hiding how spoiled and vain she was. And in some weird way Naruto became attracted to that._

_The girl never pretended to feel anything for Naruto's situation and showed him no pity.__ Obviously she didn't care about winning his trust, but ironically it was exactly that what made Naruto gravitated toward her. At first Sakura wasn't exactly fond of the idea of having the blond follow her around, but as he proved his usefulness she stopped minding it. Plus he wasn't bad to look at. It was a friendship that bloomed for completely superficial reasons and both parties involved were clear about it. Yet somehow that was what made it work._

-_-_-_(Momentary Interval)-_-_-_

"I didn't really try to expand my world after I met Sakura. I didn't want to put my trust in other people so I guess I never gave anyone one else a chance. But at the same time I didn't want anyone to put their trust in me either because of what happened with my parents. They trusted me with the combination to the safe and they paid the price for it with their lives. Because of it I convinced myself that I didn't deserve to have people depend on me so I distanced myself from others as much as possible." Naruto said before giving a forced chuckle. "It's a shame though because I probably would have become friends with Hinata a lot sooner if I hadn't done that."

Naruto noticed that the mood in his retelling was getting kind of depressing so he tried to make light of the situation by making a small joke at the end. But it was obvious that his false cheeriness wasn't fooling anybody. If the concern edge on Kiba's face had any say in it then Naruto knew that he only made himself look more pathetic.

The brunet's eyes then momentarily traveled down to the hand he had tried to reach for only minutes ago before returning back to Naruto's face. The blond noticed the gesture and sighed forebodingly. Naruto could tell that Kiba wanted to know the real reason why he always pulled away when Kiba touched him. And honestly that was the story the blond was dreading to narrate. It was something he hadn't told anyone prior to this, yet he knew he would have to if he wanted to make this arrangement work. The tattooed male had the right to know with who he was getting himself involved. Naruto only wished he had the courage to tell it to Sakura beforehand as she also was equally deserving of it.

Kiba thought he heard some dull thudding noise coming from just outside the bedroom door but he chose to ignore it as Naruto took in a shaky breath before continuing on with his narration.

"Unfortunately, like you can probably guess, things didn't stay quite that simple." Naruto explained as he unconsciously traced the scars on his face. "When I turned thirteen I realized that I wasn't exactly like the others. It was then that a certain someone stepped into my life; someone who made a very lasting impression on me."

-_-_-_(Second Dive into the Past)-_-_-_

_At the start of his adolescent years Naruto started to notice that he felt physically attracted to people of his same gender; in other words the first indications of his sexual orientation. Homosexuality was not something the blond wanted to verge into because of the hardships it would indubitably bring upon his life so he forced himself to ignore the signals in hopes that they would go away._

_Naruto even went as far as forcing himself to find Sakura sexually attractive but to no avail. His preferences didn't change. Yet that didn't stop Naruto from passing it up as treacherous teenage hormones that were desperately trying to cause him even more grief. But he wouldn't fall into their trap, no sir, the blond was smarter than that now and knew that even his own body couldn't be trusted._

_That all came to an end though when a certain raven haired teenager joined their ranks in the first year of high school. All Sakura did was gush over how Sasuke Uchiha was the most handsome perfect being to ever walk the planet and Naruto found himself mentally agreeing. The blond found that he simply couldn't tear his eyes away from his new classmate. Needless to say it didn't take long for Sasuke to take notice of Naruto's lingering gaze. The day the blonde was caught staring he quickly looked away in embarrassment. Because of that he failed at noticing the lecherous smirk that formed on the lips of the Uchiha._

_At first Sasuke didn't seem to be particularly interested in anyone or anything. He was the definition of a complete and total loner. Yet one day he out of nowhere approached Naruto and told the blond to sit beside him during lunch period. Nothing really happened during that whole hour. All Sasuke did was peal an apple with his__ 5 inch knife. From time to time he would offer Naruto a piece for him to eat as well but other than that Sasuke didn't speak at all._

_As strange as that unusually long hour was, Naruto surprisingly didn't once feel the least bit awkward about seating alone with Sasuke on an empty lunch table in relative silence. By the end of lunch period the raven haired boy coolly stood up and told Naruto that they should do that again more often. The blond had shrugged his shoulders indifferently at the suggestion even though he was inwardly static with joy. _

_Naruto immediately became a hero in Sakura's eyes after that and she wasted no time on including herself to that little routine. The excuse she gave was that since she was Naruto's best friend, it was only natural for her to befriend whoever else her longtime friend befriended. The blond was all for the idea while Sasuke had to begrudgingly accept the fact that Naruto apparently was a package deal._

_Liked it or not, Sakura came with the territory._

_Suddenly every girl in school wanted to get involved with Naruto as well because they wanted to use him to get to Sasuke but Naruto did like he always had done and ignored them. Sakura on the other hand openly laughed at their expense. _

_Apparently, as Naruto later learned, that was the right thing to do since Sasuke later confessed that one of the things he liked the most about Naruto was the fact that he didn't associate himself with many people. In fact the black haired teen was counting on it._

_As more time passed by they got more acquainted with each other and started doing other stuff besides seating together at lunch. Some of it involved outside school activities. Slowly but surely Naruto started building trust with Sasuke just like he had previously done with Sakura. And the more trust was built, the more Sasuke hinted at wanting something more that went beyond friendship. _

_Naruto blushed and tried to downplay it every time Sasuke did so. The raven teen would then shrugged it off nonchalantly and continued on as if nothing happened. That was pretty much how things went until a week after Sakura's sixteen birthday when Sasuke kissed Naruto on a whim. The blonde quickly stepped away not believing what his friend just did but Sasuke moved forward and pinned Naruto to the wall before kissing him again. Naruto's blue eyes widen in shock but then he closed them and surrendered to the feeling. He wanted this too._

_After they separated again to catch some air Naruto asked if that meant that they were boyfriends now. Sasuke shrugged saying that he didn't care for labels but that Naruto could believe whatever he wanted. The blond then became nervous because he still hadn't come out of the closet yet. That made Sasuke smiled sadistically as he told Naruto that he probably should try his luck with Sakura first since they were apparently oh so close with one another. Naruto only nodded thinking it a good idea to start._

_What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke had just come from rejecting Sakura so he already knew the pinkette wasn't going to take in the news very well. The thought of finally coming up with a surefire way to get Sakura out of his hair made Sasuke tremble with sinister anticipation. She was the last obstacle standing in the way of what Sasuke wanted and once she was out of the picture his real fun would start._

_Yet after three days of Naruto still not finding the courage to tell her about it, Sasuke began to get impatient. So wanting to speed things along he took matters into his own hand and called Naruto's home. His foster mom had picked up the phone and Sasuke pretended to be naïve as he asked if his __**boyfriend**_ _was home. Deeming that he had sparked enough conflict to light a fire he closed his mobile phone and opted to clean his knives collection as he waited for Naruto's inevitable cry for comfort._

_When Naruto got home that day he wasn't expecting to see both of his foster parents awaiting his return with disgust in their eyes. He didn't get a chance to say anything before they bombarded him with questions and accusations. Naruto was so startled with it all that he couldn't find the proper words to get himself out of this jumble. __Homura and Koharu took the blonde's lack of a clear response as evidence that the charges they pronounced were indeed on point, and wasted no time in reading Naruto his only options to save face._

_They were unrelenting on the fact that Naruto was clearly suffering from a terrible illness and needed professional intervention fast. When Naruto tried to plead his case he was slapped in the face and told that he didn't have any other choice if he wanted to stay under their roof. Devastated, Naruto ran away and sought out Sakura in desperate hopes that at least she would accept him for what he was._

_His foster parents didn't matter, that's what he kept telling himself, all that mattered was that the person he cared about and trusted to have his back. And to Naruto that only meant Sakura. She was the only person he knew that fitted the criteria and consequently the only person whose opinion mattered. He knew he was putting all his eggs in one basket but it wasn't something that could be helped. Naruto truly had no one else to turn to._

_All this time Naruto had measured the people he placed his trust into and right now there was no one else that he trusted more than Sakura. Now that trust was about to be tested. Was Naruto wrong in his judgment? He was about to find out._

_In the end it was not as he had hoped. The rude awakening came to him when he received his second slap to the face, this time courtesy of Sakura. But it didn't stop there; no, that would have been too swift and painless. She had to cut deeper by yelling at him that she hated him and that she wished he'd never been born. That's what hurt him the most because now he understood that his trust wasn't reciprocal and that he was never really considered as anything by who he thought was his one true friend._

_Alas Naruto sought comfort in the only person who ever expressed want in him, and Sasuke was already ready for him with arms wide open. That night Naruto poured out all his heartache on Sasuke as the raven teen rubbed his back while monotonously droning out again and again that everything was going to be okay. Once Sasuke deemed Naruto calm enough to speak to he took advantage of the blonde's vulnerability to suggest that they run away together. Unsure blue eyes looked up to meet with steady onyx ones that projected conviction and that's all it took for the fish to take the bait._

_The following morning they left their homes and booked a hotel room. Naruto was quick to learn that Sasuke had a lot of money and power because of his last name that could get him anything and to anywhere he wanted. So every week they went hotel hopping from one place to another like if they were living some kind of fantasy that Naruto thoroughly enjoyed._

_But it also didn't take Naruto long to learn that this fantasy didn't come for free. Sasuke expected to be recompensed for his troubles and he made sure to get the message across that the form of that payment implied sex. At first, even though Naruto knew his was being guilt-tripped into it, he didn't really mind it because he thought of Sasuke as the best thing to ever have happened to him and he wanted to please. But as time went by the raven teen got more demanding with collecting his due that he barely let Naruto leave the room at all._

_And when the blond started to deny Sasuke his demands the dark haired teen would become aggressive and take what he wanted by force if he had to. It was then that Naruto came to realized that the fantasy he was living wasn't paradise and that it was instead progressively getting closer to a nightmare._

_One night when Naruto had adamantly refused to keep playing Sasuke's game, the other pulled out his 5 inch knife and pressed it against Naruto's jugular as a warning. Naruto threaten to call the police which only made Sasuke laughed cruelly in return. It was then that Sasuke decided to share a little bit of info with the blond. He told Naruto of how the Uchihas made a living by doing secret dealings with the mafia. Not only that but he revealed that his father was the head of Konoha's police force, meaning that the law was corrupted. _

_In other words what Sasuke was trying to convey was that he knew how to kill and that he practically had license to do so since his family would just cover for him. He didn't even have to finish up school if he so chose it because his future was already set for him. So technically Sasuke hadn't ran away, he was taking a break and having some fun along the way. Therefore whatever threat Naruto pulled would prove futile._

_Naruto didn't have to be a genius to figure out that Sasuke had him trapped. Only then did Naruto finally understood what the other had found so advantageous about the blond not having anyone close to him. It meant that no one would look for him if he suddenly disappeared. Naruto was the perfect prey and Sasuke was the opportunistic predator._

_Basically the only purpose it served was to show Naruto that he once again placed his trust in the wrong person. No matter what he did it seemed that it was his fate to always be betrayed by the ones he trusted the most. Naruto couldn't possibly take another failure at life so he broke down right there. Sasuke, seeing that Naruto finally understood his position, removed the knife and shoved the blond back to the bed so he could have his way with him._

_Two month had passed since they 'eloped' and Sasuke was getting bored of playing the same old game. Naruto had stop fighting a long time go and Sasuke simply stopped finding him interesting. So one day he decided to end it all and put Naruto out of his misery. But first he wanted to have one last round of fun. Naruto had taken notice of Sasuke's intentions and decided to put up one last fight._

_He should have known that all his efforts were going to prove fruitless since Sasuke was basically trained as a criminal. The raven teen laughed at the poor resistance he was met with when finally was able to pinned Naruto to the floor. Taking out his 5 inch knife out from his pocket, Sasuke spoke about how he read the police report about Naruto being the only known survivor of the Kyuubi and then joked of how awesome it would be if it had whiskers like a fox. _

_A dangerous glint then appeared in Sasuke's eye as an idea suddenly popped into his head. Acting on impulse Sasuke brought down his knife to Naruto's cheeks because of the sudden urge he felt about wanting to see firsthand how whiskers on a human face would look like. The blond screamed in pain as he struggled to get out but it was only after his six cut to the face that Naruto was able to pushed Sasuke from on top of him and wasted no time on running to the window and jumping on the emergency ladder built for fire escape. Running to the door would have been pointless since he knew Sasuke always locked it._

_Unfortunately Naruto didn't get far because apparently Sasuke had already planned for backup and just as Naruto reached the bottom he was captured by an obese stranger and slammed against the wall with enough force to crack Naruto's bones. Sasuke caught up shortly after and __haughtily__ made his way toward Naruto with purposely slow strides to contribute with the dark atmosphere._

_The Uchiha thanked his accomplice who he called Jirobo before asking said assistant to turn Naruto around so Sasuke could have some more fun with his back. Sasuke only got a few slashes in though before a hotel employee came outside and headed to their direction. They quickly dropped Naruto and scurried away, but not before Sasuke commented on how it appeared to be Naruto's lucky day and how it was in his best interest to keep quiet about what transcended between the two of them._

_The last thing Naruto saw was the Uchiha's retreating back before it all went black. Next thing he knew he woke up in an emergency room with tubes and bandages strapped all around his body. He briefly wondered how he was going to pay for that or if they had called his foster parents but he quickly dismissed that idea. Naruto did not carry any form of identification on him and even if they had called his foster parents Naruto doubted they would even bother to come._

_Shortly after the doctors came in for inspection but Naruto refused to talk to them. He had nowhere to go and no reason to live; and honestly, he wished he had died because then he wouldn't have to continue on with his sorry existence. When the medics noticed the blonde's lack of will to help with the cause, they let him be and quietly left the room. Or so Naruto thought because next thing he knew he had a weeping mess of pink hair attached to his midsection._

_Sakura was here. She was crying for him. She was apologizing to him. She cared about his wellbeing. She wanted to be a better friend to him. The faith he once placed on her wasn't completely unfounded. It should have made him happy… Yet as he hugged her back he found that he couldn't embrace the feeling full-heartedly. Something was holding him back._

_Even though he loved his friend the damage was already done. He was betrayed far too many times by those he got close to. Naruto couldn't trust her, or anyone else for that matter, ever again.__ If only he had listened to his nanny's advice and not trusted in anyone from the very start then maybe he wouldn't be feeling as lost as he felt now._

_His physical wounds healed with time, save for the scars on his face. The only way to remove them was with surgery but it came with the price of forever altering his appearance. Naruto wanted to remain looking like the spitting image of his father Minato so he refused the operation even if it meant having his face scared forever._

_Before Naruto was released from the hospital he made an oath to himself. Things needed to change; he realized that, so he vowed to become strong. No longer would he look defenseless by separating himself from the world. He pretended to befriend everyone at school with his fake cheeriness to prevent any other would-be-predator to target him. The blond wanted to make sure that the next time he went missing, people would care enough to notice and go look for him. Not that he planned on getting himself in a tight situation ever again though. That's why kept everyone at arms' length and never truly opened up to anyone. A safety measure of some sort._

_Yet the blond didn't restrict himself to only that. He also began to frequently visit the gym and take self-defense courses on the side. Naruto was done with being weak and a crybaby. Next time something happened he was going to make sure he was able to break free and personally put the beatdown on his attacker._

_When he turned eighteen and graduated Naruto legally changed his last name from Namikaze to Uzumaki, his late mother's maiden name, as a sign that he was leaving his old self behind and letting the new Naruto shine forth. His new self was manly, smart and independent. Naruto didn't want to be a burden to anyone because he was sure that he was bad luck. _

_Surprisingly though, this new Naruto was able to make a small tight knit group of friends in the form of Lee, Tenten and Hinata although he was sure that Shino also considered himself a friend even though they very rarely spoke to each other. Of course he didn't rely on any on them and it was mostly them whom approached Naruto in the first place but they were friends nonetheless._

_And then came Gaara, someone who was peculiarly enough in a similar boat to Naruto. The redhead, much like Naruto, had led a very tough life and was also trying to escape his past. Naruto learned that Gaara was a victim of child abuse._

_Gaara's mother had died giving birth to him and his father blamed him for it. The redhead grew up with a father that physically hammered him down every day at the slightest provocation or just because he felt like it. His brother Kankuro once told a teacher, Baki, about it and he called Social Services to investigate. Their father was efficient in convincing the social workers that came that his children were growing up in a loving environment and that Kankuro had made that up to get attention and nothing more._

_Ever since then their father made sure to give Kankuro the same cruel treatment as his little brother as punishment for being a snitch. As the time went on their dad became more aggressive and twisted that Gaara thought he was losing his sanity. It was no wonder both brothers grew up cold and reclusive. Yet even then Gaara had naively thought that the abuse only extended to the boys of the family. It never once occurred to him that something might be going on with his sister as well. _

_That is why one day when Gaara came home and heard his sister screaming he ran to her room and stood paralyzed when he saw that his father was trying to sexually assault his own daughter. The sound of Temari's cries as she desperately tried to fight her father off of her snapped Gaara back to reality and without even thinking it through he threw himself at his father to try to pull him away. That ended with the redhead receiving a good punch to the face as his efforts were largely ignored._

_Gaara fell back but didn't give up yet. Being so caught up in the moment he rushed to where he knew his father kept the guns, picked one up and without really thinking about it shot his dad on the head. The case was cleared by the authorities as a self defense act so no charges were made on Gaara. But even so everybody in Suna treated him like a murderer because they all knew how much Gaara detested his father. Things were even tense between the siblings because they couldn't bear to look at each other without being reminded of what had happened._

_Finally being fed up with the hateful looks we was receiving from the citizens of Suna the redhead applied to college in Konoha and moved away from home in an effort to jumpstart his life. Naruto was the first friend Gaara made and the blond would always be optimistic for him by telling Gaara that all he had to do was believe that everything was going to be okay and then everything __**would**__ be okay. The redhead smiled inwardly because he knew that Naruto himself didn't believe in what he preached but Gaara appreciated the effort. _

_Now Gaara was finally moving on with his life while Naruto remained stuck in the same place._

-_-_-_(Back to the Present)-_-_-_

"Before I met you my life was a mess. I was never home, always doing countless odd jobs a day to support myself, sleeping as little as possible, tiring my mind and body, and never taking enough care of myself. I was on a down spiral. I didn't want to trust anyone with my problems. I thought I could deal with them by myself. I was beginning to self-destruct. My life was falling apart. Things were getting too out of control, too wild. I couldn't have possibly made it out of that route alone."

By now Naruto was having difficulty expressing himself and it showed by the shakiness of his voice. He brought up his left hand to cover his face as he swallowed in order to keep himself from choking with emotion. When he regained composure he used that same hand to brush his hair back as he smiled tenderly at Kiba.

"But then you came into my life and forced me to stay put in one place. Because of you I had to face a fear I always tried to avoid. Because of you I had to depend on others to help me and finally let them inside my home. It is because of you that I think I'm learning to trust again. Not to mention that it is also because of you that I been able to sleep peacefully through the night without waking up once because of a bad dream. In other words it is like everything was in disorder until you came and tamed me. Funny how that works huh? To think that all this time I thought that I was the one who had to tame you."

Kiba was at a loss of what to say so he settled for pulling Naruto down so he could rest his head on Kiba's chest in an effort to convey his words with actions instead. Naruto at first flinched at Kiba's sudden grab but then he let himself relax on the other's chest as he reminded himself that he trusted the brunet. Kiba smiled at this and took the opportunity to circle his arms around Naruto's upper body.

"You know" Kiba began as he traced Naruto's clothed back with his fingers; "I actually like your whiskers."

"Pfft, you only like them because they complement your red fangs." joked the blond.

The brunet chuckled guiltily at being caught. "It's like we are meant to be" he said as he hugged Naruto closer to his body. The blond blushed at the statement but otherwise said nothing in return. They stayed like that for quite some time until Naruto heard Kiba softly snoring. Naruto lifted his head and saw that the brunet had indeed fallen asleep.

'_Idiot, you were supposed to say good night first'_ thought a smiling Naruto as he studied the peaceful face of his slumbering partner. _'Guess that I wasn't the only one deprived from sleep after all.'_

Naruto didn't know why he did it but he suddenly felt the sudden urge to do so. And by that I mean that Naruto, purely on impulse, reached up and planted a goodnight kiss on Kiba's lips before retreating back to the brunet's chest and drifting into blissful sleep. _'Now all I have to do is apologize to Sakura and everything will be perfect'_

-_-_-_(Earlier that Night)-_-_-_

Speaking of Sakura she was busy making her way up the flights of stairs to Naruto's apartment. As she did so she couldn't help herself from peaking inside the brown paper bag she was carrying and shaking her head with amused incredulity once again. Condoms, aphrodisiacs and a jar of lubricant. The contents inside could only be described as Ino's twisted idea of a sick joke.

When Ino came home that night she spun and danced around Sakura as she spilled the news of Naruto caving in and going after Kiba. Sakura covered her mouth in disbelief at what she heard and her eyes started to water from the inexplicable bliss she was feeling at knowing that her friend finally stopped denying himself a chance at happiness.

As the pinkette rubbed the unshed tears away a clearly smug smile adorned her features. She knew that Naruto greatly missed Kiba and she couldn't wait to tell him _**she told him so**_. Ino for her part couldn't wait at all and urged Sakura to go there immediately as in right now.

Once Ino was able to convince her pink roommate to go, an idea popped into her head and she told Sakura to wait. Ino grabbed a brown paper bag from the kitchen and ran to her room to fill it up with things before giving it to Sakura to hand-deliver for her.

The blonde instructed her roommate not to peek inside because it was a special farewell present for only Naruto's eyes to see. Sakura gave her word on it but once she got in her car she looked inside anyways. Ino must have been deluded if she thought Sakura wouldn't check the 'gift' after all the shit Ino had pulled recently. To her surprise the contents in the bag, although heavily inappropriate, seemed harmless enough. But then again this was Ino she was thinking about so there was no way of knowing for sure what prank the blonde girl was trying to pull.

Whatever the case it still gave Sakura the perfect excuse to drop by Naruto's place without making it look like she was checking up on him.

Not knowing whether she was welcomed or not she knocked on Naruto's door for good measure. When she got no response she opted for unlocking the door with her spare key and letting herself in just in case Naruto had already fallen asleep. She didn't want to wake him up by ringing the bell if that were indeed the case.

Once inside she put the bag on the countertop before glancing around the room. She noticed a couple of suitcases on the floor which the pinkette guessed belonged to Kiba. Again it made her feel warmth to know that Naruto was finally letting people in. She couldn't wait to tease him for it.

But as she saw no other sign of her brunet salvation she briefly wondered where he could be until she heard Naruto's voice coming out from his bedroom.

If Naruto was speaking then it meant he had someone else in there to talk to, most likely Kiba, because otherwise it meant that he was losing it. And Sakura seriously doubted that Naruto would go crazy now of all times when he hadn't done so when things were a lot rougher for him.

Deciding it would be a wasted trip if she went away without at least saying hello to them, she headed to the bedroom door and was about to knock on it. That is until she heard Naruto mentioning her name. Curious, she leaned forward trying to figure out under what context he was using her name and her eyes widen.

Naruto was opening up to Kiba and narrating his past. She inwardly celebrated the huge step forward he was making and knew that she shouldn't interrupt them. But before she could step away to give them their privacy she heard something that grounded her to her spot.

Sasuke Uchiha was a name she thought she would never again hear coming out of Naruto's mouth. That was a subject Naruto never spoke of despite her best efforts to make him do so. For so long Sakura had wanted to know what went down between the two but she already had giving up on it. The pinkette thought that she would always be kept in the dark about it.

…Until now.

It was as if her legs were rooted on the floor and they wouldn't budge. She knew that it wasn't right, she knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, she knew she had to get away but she just couldn't do it. It was her only chance to learn what had transcended 3 ½ years ago.

No matter how much she tried to tell herself that what she was doing was wrong, her face still turn to the side as she pressed her ear to the door. Sakura would berate herself later for succumbing so easily but for now everything else that wasn't Naruto's voice seized to matter.

Only when she finished hearing Sasuke's part of the tale was Sakura able to tear herself away from the door. She covered her mouth to stop the sob that wanted to come out. The story was so much worse than what she previously thought. Additionally to that, she was able to confirm her fear about not having won back Naruto's faith in her yet. Her feelings were in turmoil and she didn't trust herself enough to act on them so she silently left to collect her thoughts.

She needed some extra time away and it would be days before she could consider herself ready to be able to face Naruto again. Ino was moving away so it made no sense for Sakura to stay there anymore so she planned on giving Suigetsu a call. Afterwards she would disconnect her phone so she could straighten out her thoughts without unwanted distractions. It was not like Naruto needed her anytime soon so it made no difference because she knew Naruto wasn't going to call her. Or at least that was what she thought.

* * *

**Important Chapter Notes:**

_1) Normally I'm against the idea of making the Kyuubi a female but it just fitted the role so perfectly it had to be done! So instead I made the Kyuubi an androgynous character in the story so it could still go either way. I find myself more at ease with this clever in between -^_^-_

_2) I'm actually a big fan of NaruIno but somehow I like them more when they don't get along. (Weird I know)_

_3) Just in case no one remembers, Homura and Koharu (the foster parents of Naruto) are those to pesky council members that are always bothering Tsunade in the manga/anime._

_4) This chapter left me dehydrated. I need a drink and right now I have a taste for lemonades. Hmmm __**lemons**__, I'll definitely bring two round of them in the next chapter! (So please don't kill me 8D)_

_5) Remember to go see the fan-art, it is good!_


	14. Don’t Get Lost In Heaven

**Warning: **_Yaoi (With Plot), Slash, Male on Male, Sex, Lemon, Mature Content, Homosexuality, Gay Activity, LOVE! If any of the before mention didn't turn you off then you may proceed. _

**Disclaimer: **Just here to say that (wait, let me check the copyright again… okay yeah) I do not own Naruto or make any profit out of it.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 14: Don't Get Lost In Heaven**

When Naruto woke up the next morning he immediately noticed two things that weren't as before. First that during their time asleep they had somehow changed positions resulting in Kiba spooning Naruto from behind while having both arms securely wrapped around Naruto's midsection. Yet that didn't alarm the blond as much as the second thing he noticed. That being the feel of a stiff something against his thigh.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Naruto pressed his rear onto the sleeping brunet. Blue eyes shot wide open when he identified the hardness pressing against him. _'Morning Wood!'_

Naruto promptly tried to get himself out of that situation but his movements only made Kiba hug him tighter against his body. The blond stopped moving at that and blushed when he noticed that Kiba's erection was now perfectly positioned between his ass cheeks.

'_This can't be happening'_ thought Naruto as he closed his eyes and tried to wake up from the dream. It didn't work. _'It's real! But… mmph, it feels good.' _And to prove it his member was also starting to get hard.

Remaining completely still in order to not further instigate the brunet, Naruto tried assessing the situation. Yet that was getting increasingly more difficult to do since his brain kept reminding him that it's been years since he had any kind of sexual contact whatsoever.

'_Darn, I'm starting to sound like a needy person' _the blond admitted as he finally lost concentration. It was true that because of his trust issues Naruto kept himself from getting intimate with anyone. Naruto even went as far as buying a fake dildo to try to appease his need but it wasn't enough. Not even a few days ago when he tried to imagine it was Kiba up inside of him and not a vibrator did Naruto get soothed.

But now Naruto had the real thing pressed right next to him and it seemed like his body was all too willing to respond.

It felt wrong though. Naruto felt like he was taking advantage of Kiba only to satisfy his own needs but it wasn't like the brunet was going to notice anyways. _'Maybe if I try it for just a little bit it won't do any harm'_ he thought in self-persuasion.

Storing up what little courage he had, the blond took a risk and fully pressed his backside hard on Kiba's welcoming form. The response was immediate. The dozing brunet tightened his hold on Naruto and started to hump him.

Naruto gasped loosing himself in a feeling of euphoria but nevertheless grounded his hips for more of that delicious friction. That proving to be enough stimulation for making Kiba moan in his sleep. What Naruto didn't know was that Kiba was having a _**very**_ erotic dream provoked by the DVDs he watched with Ino the day before.

With half-lidded eyes Naruto lost himself in the ecstasy produced by Kiba. The blond's breathing was getting faster and his clothes were starting to feel uncomfortable because of how hot he felt.

His nirvana didn't last long however as their actions slowly stirred up the brunet. But it wasn't until the still half asleep Kiba pronounced the blond's name that Naruto came back to his senses.

In a flash a heavily embarrassed Naruto broke free of the embrace and ungracefully tumbled out of the bed. Kiba instantly sat up worried that Naruto might had hurt himself with that nasty fall.

What Kiba saw instead was an unharmed yet out of breath Naruto looking very red and flustered with an extremely visible tent in his shorts. Kiba then felt himself through his boxers and noticed that he too was sporting a stiffy.

Seeing both their states of arousal Kiba could only theorize one thing. "Were we having sex?"

Naruto wanted to die right then or at least be swallowed alive by the ground so he wouldn't have to confront the dilemma he got himself into.

"W-What?! Of c-course n-not!" Naruto stammered as he desperately searched for a way out of this. "How can you say that? We're not even t-together." He reasoned.

"We are not?" Kiba meekly asked feeling downhearted all of the sudden.

"No, I mean technically we're not" answered the blond getting little disoriented with Kiba's reaction. It was then that Naruto was reminded that even though the brunet now expressed himself coherently and was more socially aware, he still was the pure intentioned Kiba that Naruto always known. "Unless… do you want to be together?"

Pointless to say Kiba wasted no time in nodding his consent. "Isn't it obvious? I already told you that I don't want to be without you." replied the brunet grinning widely at the blond. "I want to be boyfriends!"

A hint of red made its way to Naruto's face again because of Kiba's genuine declaration yet strangely enough that didn't stop the affectionate smile that stretched itself on his lips. Kiba wanted the labels. That meant that Naruto's sentiments were for once reciprocal.

"I'd like that" answered the blond sincerely, no longer feeling flustered. Instead he felt a gentle warmth in his chest.

Kiba enthusiastically jumped out the bed after receiving the positive response and went directly toward Naruto to help the blonde get back on his feet. Naruto accepted the proffered hand and thanked his new boyfriend once he was able to stand up.

"So" Kiba said scratching the side of his face before asking rather bluntly, "Are we going to have sex now? Ino said that boyfriends are supposed to fuck."

"_**Kiba!!!**_" Naruto chastised as his previous embarrassed blush came back full force. "When the- How the heck- What else did she did she tell you?" asked Naruto hesitantly at the end already fearing the worst.

"Hmm, let's see" uttered Kiba innocently, eyes darting to the upper left corner as he tried to remember Ino's impromptu lessons. "She also said that I shouldn't pressure you into anything, that I should squeeze your butt from time to time and tell you that you look good, and that I should let you cum first to show that I care."

Naruto deadpanned. As usual Kiba was way too gullible for his own good. He probably didn't know that he most likely wasn't supposed to spill the tips Ino imparted on him. If anything at least that proved that there was no real malice or pervasion tinting the words that came out of Kiba's mouth.

Dropping his shoulders, Naruto sighed while thanking his stars for granting his wish and getting Ino out of his hair for the time being. Hopefully indefinitely. Naruto then regarded Kiba again and shook his head. "I need a shower"

Taking for granted that the conversation was over Naruto went to look for a change of clothes, not noticing how Kiba's face brighten. "Okay" said the brunet as he hurried out of the room to look for his suitcase. Kiba had failed to mention how Ino also told him that boyfriends frequently bathed together; and the tattooed male eagerly wanted to try that out.

The first thing Naruto did once inside the bathroom was to brush his teeth since he knew he had bad morning breath. Finishing by rinsing his mouth and spitting out the water, Naruto looked at himself in the mirror while automatically tracing the scars on each side of his face with his right hand. Last time he had done this he felt very self-conscious about himself. But now that Kiba said he liked Naruto's _**whiskers**_, the blond didn't feel as bad as before. In fact Naruto was starting to see the appeal of his scars.

'_Amazing what simple compliments from someone you trust can do to your self-esteem'_ thought Naruto smiling at his reflection before stripping from his clothes and getting in the shower. Turning on the hot water Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt all his insecurities slowly being drained away. That is until he heard the door to the bathroom opening and closing again.

Naruto peeked out the shower curtain and saw Kiba starting to undress.

"Kiba!!!" Naruto exclaimed/yelled indignantly. "What are you going here?"

"Taking a bath" replied the brunet casually as he removed his shirt.

"While I'm on it?!" scrutinized the blond as he fought down the blush that threaten to take over his face.

"Well yeah" said Kiba as his thumbs trailed the edges of his boxers. Then his confidence abruptly dropped as he lifted his head to look at Naruto. "Is that bad?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh..." wavered Naruto as his blue eyes traveled across Kiba's exposed skin before landing on his dark eyes. Naruto knew it probably wasn't his brightest moment but he still conceded to what Kiba implicitly suggested. "I guess there there's nothing wrong with it" he finally answered but with an uncertain edge on his voice as he tried to pass it off like if it wasn't a big deal.

Kiba failed to notice the hesitation though and with one swift motion he kicked off his boxers and happily hopped in the shower with his new boyfriend.

Naruto quickly turned away from the brunet and gave him his back in order to hide his embarrassment. The blond wasted no time in grabbing the soap and rubbing the bar on his front as it provided distraction. In Naruto's mind the faster he cleaned himself, the faster he could get away without making a fool of himself.

Yet little did he expect for Kiba to move in close enough to brush his chest against the blonde's backside while stretching one arm over Naruto's shoulder as he asked for the soap. Naruto's brain completely went on total shutdown as he inanimately passed the soap to the other.

"Thanks" said Kiba while soaping up his hands before rubbing them on Naruto's upper back and consequently making him jolt.

"W-Wha-Wha- What are you doing?" questioned the blond slightly turning on his side to gaze at Kiba while looking incredibly flustered.

Kiba tilted his head to the left and brought the bar of soap up for Naruto to see. "What does it look like? I'm washing your back just like Sakura did to me the first time we met."

They got into a staring contest until Naruto gave Kiba one last leer before turning away and sighing. _'Either Kiba is as well intended as he appears or he is that good at faking it'_

"Alright" said Naruto playing along. "But don't do anything inappropriate and don't let your hands wander too much. Got it?"

"Got it!" replied the brunet soaping up his hands again. And when Kiba's hands landed on Naruto's skin again, the blond tried his best to not get jumpy from the touch.

Joint baths was something that Naruto had never tried, not even with Sasuke, so the experience was relatively new to him. When Kiba's hands moved to the chest area Naruto's breathing hitched because the brunet's fingers had inadvertently brushed against his nipples. And it felt so good!

So good in fact that Naruto leaned more unto Kiba's frame in order to give the other easier access to his chest. The unmistakably sensual touch made the blond's stomach flutter. No lie, Naruto was getting so turned on by it that his member started hardening. But when Kiba's hands started their descent toward Naruto's abdomen the blond jerked away because he couldn't maintain his control anymore.

Completely turning around to face the brunet, Naruto made a new proposal. "Okay ,change of plans! How about _**I**_ wash _**you**_ instead?" But when the blond caught Kiba's eyes roaming down his body, Naruto covered his private parts with both hands and told the brunet to look up and pay attention.

"Fine with me" said Kiba playfully as he handed Naruto the bar of soap. Naruto quickly soaped his hands before returning the favor to Kiba by first washing his shoulders and then his arms. The tattooed male closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling better as Naruto started working on his chest.

Because they were now facing each other Naruto had a perfect glance at every part of Kiba's sculptured body. And no matter what he did Naruto could not tear his eyes away from it. Gulping Naruto let his hands get a little more explorative with their touches. Fingers lingered on certain areas and it wasn't long before Kiba let out a light moan. Naruto was fully hard as of now.

Quickly staring at Kiba's face Naruto saw that the brunet still had his eyes closed and was simply enjoying the ride without making any moves. So soaping up his hands again Naruto crouched down to work on Kiba's legs.

It was obvious to Naruto that he was starting to arouse Kiba too since the other started to moan again. When Naruto lifted his gaze again he became aware of how Kiba's shaft was gradually increasing in size as well. That's when Naruto's blue eyes remained transfix on Kiba's growing appendage.

The brunet was definitely packing and Naruto wondered what it would feel like to hold it. He only realized that he was already doing it when Kiba gasped out the blonde's name.

Naruto abruptly stood up and started backing away as he tried his best to stammer an apology but Kiba immediately grabbed Naruto's wrist and placed the blonde's hand back on his cock again.

"Don't stop" Kiba pleaded resting his chin on Naruto's right shoulder and pressing him against the wall. "Please" he whispered, "It feels too good."

The blond couldn't believe what he was doing but he heatedly squeezed and pumped Kiba's length. The brunet's hands were against the wall at either side of Naruto's head and his ragged breath was hot on Naruto's neck.

"We can't" whispered back Naruto, "It's too soon". Yet Kiba only shook his head and asked the other once again not to stop.

Naruto never imagined that he would be in a situation like this one again. He thought that he would forever live the rest of his life in solitude but now here he was with Kiba, his boyfriend, panting on his shoulder. The blond thought that it couldn't be, that it was too early, that they hadn't even dated yet.

But then again weren't dates only for getting to know each other better? Kiba and Naruto already knew all they needed to know about the other so maybe they weren't really rushing into anything. Maybe it wasn't so wrong to want each other this badly as they did now. And Naruto wanted Kiba more than him himself imagined.

Kiba was someone he trusted, someone he felt safe with, someone he was staring to fall for. If there ever was someone Naruto wanted to give himself to it was Kiba. No one else could come as close to him as Kiba was now. No one else would be able to see Naruto in this very state because there was no one else the blond would let get this view. Only Kiba was able to enthralled Naruto this way and Naruto would be damn if he didn't show Kiba just how much he wanted this.

So without further indecision the blond reached with his left hand the knob to turn the shower off because it made no sense to let the water go to waste, and then proceeded to grab Kiba's hands to placed them on the blonde's hips. Gently putting one of his hands on one of Kiba's, Naruto guided it off of his side and into his rear until it prodded at Naruto's anal cavity.

Naruto gasped at the intrusion of both his and Kiba's middle finger making his back arc toward the brunet's wet body fully pressing his dick on Kiba's thigh. The action made both shudder with want.

After a while Naruto instructed Kiba to add another finger to stretch the hole further. Naruto grimaced in pain even though they were taking their sweet time with the preparation. He however immediately moaned in gratitude when Kiba started to suck on his neck giving it occasional licks every now and then. The feel of that wet muscle on his skin made Naruto want to hurry up the process for his body screamed for more of Kiba.

"Lift me" commanded Naruto as he stopped pumping Kiba's unbending meat and released it. The brunet followed by removing his fingers from Naruto's puckered insides and by grabbing the blond by the back of his thighs and raising him up.

Naruto's legs instantly wrapped themselves around Kiba's midsection and pressed his willing ass on Kiba's cock as an invitation. The brunet got the message and moved in to completely straddle the blond between himself and the wall to help soothed the burden of Naruto's weight.

The whiskered one then griped Kiba's shoulders and lifted his buns up before slowly lowering himself on Kiba's erect mast.

Kiba never really understood why would anyone want to bury themselves on someone else's behind; but now he was sure he figured it out. The immense pleasure that surged through his body as Naruto continued taking inch by inch of his hardened manhood almost made the brunet's knees buckle. The immense feeling of Naruto's tight and warm entrance on his cock was like nothing Kiba had ever felt before.

The brunet's eyes were already clouded over by the time Naruto descended all the way to the hilt that the tattooed male failed to notice just how hard Naruto was gripping his shoulders.

Said distraction was something that the blond welcomed though. Kiba's size was definitely something Naruto needed extra time to get accustomed to so the longer Kiba stayed in his euphoria the better.

Once Naruto felt ready enough he swung his hips against Kiba to signal him to move. Kiba blinked his trance away as he withdrew his cock away until only its head remained inside before slamming back full force all the way in making Naruto scream his name because of the immense pleasure he felt. The brunet had accurately hit Naruto's prostate and now both were seeing stars.

They started with a slow rhythm at first but progressively Kiba's thrusts into Naruto got faster and harder with Naruto rocking his hips to meet Kiba every time to make sure that his boyfriend went as deep as he possibly could.

With their continuous activity it wasn't long before Naruto became a bundle of nerves in Kiba's arms. The brunet had not missed Naruto's sensitive spot one single time. Such perfect precision left Naruto with shortness of breath and after one particularly powerful slam against his prostate he wrapped his arms tightly around Kiba's upper body in order to keep himself from flailing.

Yet by doing so their flushed bodies were now firmly pressed against each other which only served to intensified their sensations. The blonde's erection was now forcefully rubbing against Kiba's abs. Adding to that fact that Kiba moaning in Naruto's ear was possibly the sexiest thing Naruto had ever heard, the blond knew that he was close to climaxing.

And it was with one final glorious thrust that Naruto came hard on both of their stomachs as he loudly moaned Kiba's name. The brunet groaned in pleasure as the walls inside Naruto's body clamped around his length further stimulating Kiba to trust deeper in order to rejoice in that sweet sensation.

After climaxing Naruto went limp on Kiba's body but the brunet wasn't done yet. However he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay standing any longer so he pulled out of Naruto and proceeded to carry him out of the shower. Hastily placing the blond on all fours on the floor, Kiba wasted no time in positioning himself on his knees behind Naruto and slamming his exceptional cock back into Naruto's inviting ass. The whiskered male gasped at the intrusion but welcomed it nonetheless.

Feeling fatigued though, Naruto let his front side fall to the ground and pressed a side of his face on the floor as he used his remaining energy on keeping his rear lifted for Kiba to continue pounding into.

This new position, as Kiba was quick to discover, gave easier passage to his cock. So gripping Naruto's hips in place Kiba thrust his manhood in and out of Naruto's ass with unforgiving abandon. The slamming of skin against skin echoing loudly in the bathroom.

As Naruto relished in Kiba's unrelenting pistoing he started to become hard again. I wasn't long before the blond started to masturbate in sync with Kiba's thrust. The brunet took notice of this and leaned forward to take over for Naruto and pumped the blonde's pulsating shaft for him instead. Kiba did this because he wanted to be the one bringing pleasure to Naruto.

Just like Kiba, Naruto's throbbing cock was above average in size. In fact his dick was very similar to Kiba's so the brunet enjoyed milking it for all it was worth. Naruto moaned at the double sensation of having Kiba attending to both his sensitive areas yet he wanted more. So he lifted himself on his elbows in order to fully press his backside against Kiba's front since he longed to have as much of that delicious skin contact as possible.

Kiba groaned in satisfaction at the friction as he ungriped Naruto's hip in order to wrap an arm around Naruto's strong torso to hug him as close as he possibly could. As Kiba continued pounding into his boyfriend's ass he rested his head on the small of Naruto's back losing himself in ecstasy but never slowing down on his thrusts.

They were panting like dogs now and it wasn't long before Naruto climaxed again. Yet his climax was much stronger than before because of the attention he was receiving. Needless to say that this time around when Naruto's walls clamped around Kiba's mast the brunet couldn't hold it anymore and released his load inside of Naruto as he shouted the blonde's name.

It was Kiba's very first orgasm in his lifetime and the force of it was without equal. The sheer quantity of it was impressive too. Naruto's toes curled as he kept feeling shot after shot of Kiba's sperm filling up his insides. It was so much that even some of Kiba's fluids started trailing out of Naruto's hole and down his thighs. It was a high that neither of them would soon forget.

After riding it out as much as they could Kiba pulled out of Naruto and they both collapsed on the hard and cold floor. The blond then turned around so he could be face-up and staring at the ceiling as both of them did their best to try to regain their breaths.

Naruto was the one who recovered his air supply first only to let out a quiet chuckle that rapidly turned into full blown laughter. He couldn't help how happy he felt yet it wasn't long before he started coughing. When he caught his breath again he turned his face toward Kiba and offered a pleased smile.

"Haha, you're nothing but an animal after all" he joked making Kiba frown because he had been working so hard to stop acting like an animal and it kinda hurt that Naruto still saw him as one.

The whiskered one couldn't help but to laugh at Kiba's sullen expression as he signaled the brunet to come closer. "What's with the face? It's the truth. I said nothing wrong!"

Yet as expected Kiba didn't cheer up which suited Naruto just fine because it meant that his trick would have an even better effect. Once Kiba crawled within reach of the blond, Naruto grabbed Kiba by the back of his head and brought him down to lock their lips together.

It was only a quick peck on the lips and once they separated Naruto chuckled at Kiba's surprised expression before laying down the punch-line to his joke. "If you weren't an animal then you would have tried to kiss me at least once during our whole session, don't you agree?"

Seeing as the tattooed male was still unresponsive, Naruto wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck and gently brought him down until their lips were almost brushing against each other. "You don't know how to kiss do you?" Naruto asked cheerfully as he pecked Kiba on the lips again. It was obvious that the blond was thoroughly enjoying turning the tables on Kiba. "Then let me show you how." and with that Naruto joined their mouths together again for a more intimate kiss.

Kiba closed his eyes enjoying what Naruto did to him before shyly corresponding to the kiss by imitating the blonde's movements. Sex was _**incredible**_, Kiba didn't doubt that, but this was also nice, yet on a whole different level. This somehow felt more real, tenderer, more like… like… love. Whatever it was Kiba knew that he was sharing something special with his one and only.

When they separated again Naruto brushed a few strands of hair that were adhered to Kiba's face. "Now that wasn't so bad was it?" the blond asked and when Kiba shook his head Naruto gave him one last peck on the lips before telling him that they should get themselves clean. The brunet had to help Naruto to stand because his sore bottom was giving him trouble.

Then after finishing their shower without further distractions and dressing in only their underwear, Naruto led Kiba back to the bedroom where they spent most of their day as they continued to practice the proper way to make-out.

Only when their stomachs started growling in hunger did they come out so they could order a pizza delivery. It was during that brief interval that Naruto noticed the brown paper bag on his countertop, and deadpanned when he saw its contents.

'_This definitely has Ino's name written all over it. But how the heck did she get inside in the first place?'_ he inwardly questioned before shrugging his shoulders and deciding to look at the bright side for once. _'Oh well, they always say not to look a gift horse in the mouth so I might as well put it to good use.'_

So after finishing their meals Naruto, sporting a smile filled with mischief, grabbed the bag and pulled Kiba into the bedroom again so he could teach his lover a few more tricks. It was a day that both of them wished would never end but even if it did it wouldn't really matter. They knew that now that they found each other nothing in the world could ever get in the way of their happiness.

…Or so they hoped.

-_-_-_-_-_(Elsewhere)-_-_-_-_-_

Even the busiest streets of Konoha were relatively deserted pass midnight. It was on one of those streets where a white limousine that contrasted perfectly with the darkening night made a stop.

The chauffeur, a regal looking man with long white hair, unboarded the vehicle and moved to open the passenger door for his employer. From said door stepped out a young man of light skin and a peculiar hairstyle. Yet his most unique feature had to be his eyes that were pools of black even darker than his already black hair.

He took this time to breathe in Konoha's air as it had been years since he last savored it yet he was interrupted by the chauffeur offering his unsolicited concern.

"Are you sure that it is okay to leave you here? Wouldn't you prefer that I call Karin and tell her you're visiting? I'm sure she'll have no qualms about you staying at her place."

"Hn, no thanks" replied the young man with clear distaste in his words. "Last time I saw her she tried to drug me to get me to sleep with her. I swear if she wasn't so valuable I would have disposed of her a long time ago."

The chauffeur nodded his sympathy but still tried to push his point. "I understand young master but wouldn't it be wise if we at least contacted someone?"

"That's enough Kimimaru. You're paid to act, not to think. And besides," he said as he offered his chauffeur a smug smirk. "I already planned on paying a certain someone else a visit."

Kimimaru nodded in understanding and retreated back to the limousine but not before offering his charge one last word of advice. "Remember not to do anything reckless while enjoying your stay. Konoha's in under your brother's jurisdiction now so it pays to be careful."

The young male just "Hn"-ed his chauffeur away before beginning his strut around what he once considered his hometown. Kimimaru didn't kid with the warning, ever since his older brother took over as head of the police force Konoha had not been the same. Things took a drastic change and the law no longer involved themselves in dealings with the mafia. Likewise delinquents left and right were placed behind bars.

Now Konoha probably was the place with the lowest crime rate on the planet. A sickening thought if you may. Yet he knew that his older brother always had a soft spot his sibling; and that was something the younger of the two took full advantage of since it permitted him and his gang to still have their way without suffering repercussions under the law.

He allowed himself to smile maliciously at that little detail as his onyx eyes scanned the surrounding area for a place to crash. Konoha had certainly changed since his last visit but even that wouldn't stop him from having his fun. He was not joking when he told Kimimaru he had someone he wanted to see. Although he was sure that that person never wanted to come face to face with him again, it didn't matter. That only made things more interesting for all he cared.

He had been trying to track down a certain blond for quite some time now but all he ever stumbled with were dead ends. So having no real leads yet knowing extremely well that a certain Hyuuga heiress had a thing for his target, he sent two of his gang members to spy on her.

That proved to be good judgment on his part since only a few days later Tayuya and Kidomaru called in to report that during a successful infiltration to a high class party they were able to indentify someone who matched the profile all the way up to the whiskers. Everything since then went full speed ahead. Yes, it was true that he had to pay for the damages that occurred during said infiltration but it was only seen as a minor expense justified by the end result.

The young man with the peculiar hairstyle then stopped moving when he spotted a five stars hotel. Tomorrow was certainly going to be an eventful day so he needed the best rest he could get.

"I wonder if you'll remember me?" he asked to no one in particular before shaking his head and laughing at his own silliness. "What am I'm saying? But of course you do. Who wouldn't remember a night with _**Sasuke Uchiha**_?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Brother said what??? I did not just do what I think I did? Oh wait, I did!_

_Congratulations to the few of you who saw this coming. And yes, this was planned for the very beginning. We finally entered the last arc and there are only 3 more chapters to go before this story ends. I can see the finish line!! So don't worry readers, I will complete this story XD  
_

**A/N 2: **_Changing the subject this was the first lemon I ever wrote completely on my own so I hope it was enjoyable enough for all of you. I never had sex in the shower (or with another man for what it's worth) but apparently it's more popular than I thought so I might just have to try it with my girlfriend (when she lets me of course). Anyways please comment and let me know your thoughts ^^_


	15. Happy Birthday?

**A/N:**_ Sorry for the wait but guess who got hit hard with the swine flu? Yeah, me, and it put me out of commission for 2 whole weeks. Not only that but it left me with coughed complications for a long time afterwards. Needless to say I had to take extra time to makeup all the college work I had missed. But enough about that, I'm all better now so on with the chapter._

**Disclaimer: **Is anyone else loving the fact that Kiba is getting a speaking role in almost all of the panels he appeared on in the most recent manga chapters? Bwahaha, it almost feels like I took over the manga! Unfortunately that is not the case and everything stills belongs to Kishimoto.

"speech"

'_toughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 15: Happy Birthday?**

Naruto was sprawled comfortably on the floor, while reading an article. He was stark naked because Kiba had propositioned that they remained that way for the rest of the morning, saying that he wanted to memorize every single part of the blonde. Kiba was the birthday boy, turning twenty today, so Naruto complied as long as the brunet did the same. It really had been a long time since Naruto had a boyfriend and Kiba seemed so eager and willing. It made Naruto's heart skip a beat.

As the aspiring researcher skimmed through the article, he felt something wet work its way up the crack of his rear. The blond let out a low moan when the wet muscle entered him.

"Ki-Kiba," Naruto moaned, "What are you doing?"

"Tasting you," Kiba answered as he used his hands to spread Naruto's butt cheeks apart for easier and deeper tongue intrusion.

Naruto mewled into the feeling and bucked his hips further into Kiba's face. Kiba got more explorative with his tongue and somewhat more aggressive.

"I think I'm already prepared," Naruto announced but Kiba didn't comply with his wishes.

"Not yet," Kiba answered loudly, gripping Naruto's hips and throwing himself backwards so that he could rest on the floor with Naruto pulled on top of him. The brunet was still licking Naruto's hole and had no intention of ever stopping.

Naruto moaned again as Kiba rimmed his ass, gave it more licks, kissed it and even bit it. _'I guess Kiba really is an ass man'_ he chuckled contently before becoming aware that their current position gave him clear access to Kiba's throbbing erection.

The 69 position

Naruto grounded his rear on Kiba's face a little more before descending to Kiba's shaft and giving its tip a tentative lick.

Kiba moaned into Naruto.

Encouraged by the reaction, Naruto pumped Kiba's shaft a few times before giving the tip another lick. Kiba's legs started to spread themselves further, and Naruto took advantage of it by taking half the mast into his mouth, twirling his tongue around the hot rod and then pulling out while gracing his teeth against the member.

"Na-Naruto," Kiba moaned out, his body quivering in pleasure. His cock was becoming really sensitive to Naruto's wet muscle. The blond laughed and twirled his body away from the tattooed male.

"Go sit down," Naruto instructed, sitting Kiba on the sofa and spreading the brunet's legs apart. Naruto then blew softly on Kiba's dick and the brunet shuddered in delight.

Naruto grabbed the shaft with one hand and gave the enlarged member a slow sensual lick from the base to the tip. Kiba had to harden his grip onto the sofa to stop himself from trembling under Naruto's ministrations.

"Like it?" Naruto asked, and Kiba nodded vigorously. His vertical slit eyes closing and bottom lip trembling with anticipation.

The whiskered male pumped Kiba's cock some more as he teased the balls by licking them, giving each one long suck. Then he flattened his tongue against Kiba's manhood as he licked his way up again the throbbing member, taking the tip of it into his mouth. His tongue played with and teased the slit of the head, while his hand continued to pump the shaft.

"Naruto, please, mo-more," Kiba moaned and Naruto gripped the cock harder, giving it a few more sensual licks before engulfing the entire length into his oral cavity.

Kiba's entire body shivered in pleasure and his hands found themselves tousling Naruto's hair, gripping to it for dear life. Naruto teased his boyfriend a little more by humming Kiba's name into the shaft, eliciting moans of gratitude from the brunet. Finally Naruto decided he teased his boyfriend enough, he started to bop his head.

He bopped his head all the way from the base to the tip, twirling his tongue around it every time he went down, and gracing his teeth against it every time he went up. He developed a steady rhythm, and by the way Kiba was trashing around, Naruto knew the other loved it.

Kiba gripped Naruto's hair tighter and started to buck, further thrusting his manhood into the moist entrance and down the blonde's throat. Naruto was thankful that those hours of gulfing ramen down had gotten rid of his gag reflex because now he was savoring Kiba's entire length. When Naruto felt Kiba's egg sack tighten, the blond gave one more prolonged suck before pulling out and pumping his boyfriend's meat as he witnessed shot after shot of Kiba's sperm coming out in long ribbons of white seeds. Kiba shot eight loads, all while moaning Naruto's name like a mantra.

After the last shot, the blond stopped pumping the shaft. Naruto was really impressed that Kiba managed eight shots. Naruto normally could only shoot out four to five shots in his best days.

Reaching up to give Kiba a kiss on the forehead, Naruto got off his knees and went to recover his article in order to finish reading it. Yet he was stopped by Kiba's hand on his wrist. Turning around Naruto saw Kiba, still in the sofa, staring longingly at Naruto's erect member. "You haven't cum yet." He said. And just like that, Kiba pulled the blond back in while switching their positions. Now Naruto was on the sofa with his legs spread wide open, and the brunet was kneeling in front of him.

Kiba first plunged in and gave Naruto's puckered hole three long thrust with his tongue before gripping his boyfriend's cock. He pumped that hard rod, much in the same manner Naruto had done to him before, and sucked and nipped tenderly on the balls, fondling them soon after.

Naruto was starting to breathe erratically.

The tattooed male, still mirroring what Naruto had done, flattened his tongue and licked his way up from the base to the tip of Naruto's meat. What he felt was so gratifying he looked up to his blond unbelievably.

"Something's wrong?" Naruto asked a little weary.

"You taste good," Kiba said with a straight face, making Naruto blush.

Kiba pressed his tongue harder on his boyfriend's length and kept lapping up its taste, making sure every inch of it was coated with his saliva. Naruto really did taste good and Kiba couldn't get enough of it. So without further preamble, he gulfed the entire length down, only to gag and pull out into a coughing fit.

"Kiba," Naruto said worriedly, ruffling his boyfriend's hair with one hand and massaging his tattooed cheek with the other. "Maybe you shouldn't do this."

"But I want to" Kiba insisted with determination, gently pushing Naruto back to the sofa and spreading those strong legs once more. He stared at the harden piece of meat before taking it into his mouth again, slowly this time. He swallowed it whole in one go, making the blond mewl. Naruto closed his eyes tightly and his toes curled at the intense feeling of having Kiba's hot breath and tongue enclosing his wanton member.

"Ki-Kiba,"

Kiba started bopping his head, making sure his canines graced the length every once in a while. Naruto was now very vocally enjoying the feeling, grunting shamelessly. The brunet continued his pace and after one particularly strong suck, the whiskered male loudly pleaded for Kiba to take him right there and then.

That made Kiba harden instantly.

He let go of Naruto's cock, and raised his face high enough to be eye-level with his boyfriend. Gripping the blonde's legs tightly he lifted his lover up and moved them to the couch because it provided them more space. Kiba laid on top while Naruto was left looking up from the bottom, his head rested on the armrest.

Kiba lifted Naruto's ankles and placed them above his broad shoulders, telling Naruto to hold them there. Kiba straddled the blond by positioning his legs at each side of his boyfriend and aligned the head of his lengthy mast with Naruto's eager hole.

This time however Kiba remembered to lower his face down in order to give Naruto a peck on the lips, a simple act which quickly developed into something more. None of them where really battling for dominance even though Naruto was the one leading the way their tongues moved together. They just kept at it, enjoying the chance to swat saliva and with it let the other know just how much he was loved. That was the power of the kiss.

It was while they kissed that Kiba finally penetrated Naruto, burying himself to the hilt. With his cock dragging sensually against the narrow walls of Naruto's insides and successfully brushing against his prostate Naruto broke the kiss to moan in pleasure.

The brunet slowly pulled out until just the tip of his cock was in, before delivering one more powerful thrust, hitting Naruto's prostate straight on with it. The blond _**really**_ moaned at that one, and wouldn't be surprised if his neighbors heard him. And to think that he had gone so long without another man inside of him. Those days seemed like so long ago now.

Kiba's pole, Naruto's hole, it was meant to be.

The tattooed male was doing his best not to outright cum. Because of how Naruto's legs were stretched his inner muscles were clamping around Kiba's dick with more strength than they had done before. Kiba wasn't as experienced as Naruto was; heck, he was a virgin only a day ago! But after being inside a man once, he understood that the life of celibacy was not for him. Not as long as his whiskered lover was with him.

"Kiba," Naruto said, grabbing the back of Kiba's head and bringing it down for another kiss. "You can move now."

And so Kiba did as he kissed his boyfriend fully on the lips. Their pace started off slow and sensual as Naruto's tight insides stretched for Kiba's invasion. Yet none of them were really the slow and sensual type. So as Kiba started to really ram himself into Naruto, their kisses became increasingly sloppy until they were forced to break apart, using the mouths only to moan out each other's names on each other's ears.

It was after the twelfth time that Kiba was able to perfectly hit the blonde's prostate every time. The sensations produced by Kiba's incessant pounding were so incredible that Naruto, completely letting himself be driven by lust, pushed Kiba off so that the brunet was now the one at the bottom.

Naruto crawled on top of his lover and positioned his back entrance on Kiba's pulsating length.

"I'm going to ride you," Naruto informed, impaling himself on Kiba's rigid rod again. Naruto's hands landed on Kiba's pecs, and the brunet gripped Naruto's hips to secure the blond on his cock. Naruto rotated his ass on the pole before starting to jump on it, taking full advantage of the -_**what goes up must come down-**_ law, a.k.a. the wonders of gravity.

The rough penetration sent Kiba to a state of near nirvana. He felt that he was impaling Naruto deeper than he had ever done before as his body kept rocking with Naruto's. The room was filled with sounds of flesh smacking flesh in an erotic dance. The blond felt Kiba's remarkable cock thrusting unforgivingly with every bounce that Naruto knew his ass was going to tear apart if he kept this momentum up.

He was very thankful that Kiba's strong hands held him in place or else he would've fallen off already.

"Ahh," Naruto groaned, "Kiba, Kiba, Kiba!" Naruto kept moaning as he started shooting load after load on his boyfriend stomach and chest. Kiba even opened his mouth to catch some of Naruto's sperm since he found everything about Naruto to be tasty.

The blond shot out seven loads, a new record for him. But with Kiba as his main sexual stimulation, it didn't surprise Naruto. Intercourse with the brunet was just _**that **_amazing.

Naruto was already slowing down and feeling understandably exhausted, so Kiba switched their positions so that he was on top again. He lifted one of Naruto's legs and continued plowing into Naruto's anal cavity.

Yet being one who gave back just as much as he received, Naruto wrapped his legs around Kiba's mid section and buried himself further. Then he wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck and nibbled on it, ravishing it for all its worth.

That was all it took to make Kiba release his load inside of his boyfriend, all while moaning Naruto's name in quick succession. Each load shot out with each powerful thrust and Naruto was convulsing in pleasure as he felt himself being filled up with Kiba's semen. The blond kept tightening his ring muscle, not wanting any of that sperm to leak out yet.

Kiba had shot eight times again. It seemed that eight was his magic number.

The brunet collapsed on the blond after their intense lovemaking, and was about to pull out when Naruto stopped him. "Don't, stay there a little longer."

"Okay," Kiba complied happily, giving his boyfriend another peck on the lips. Ever since Naruto taught him how the kiss, that's all Kiba wanted to do, even more than the sex. He wanted to kiss Naruto every chance he got.

Kiba moved his right hand to Naruto's content length and gave it a small squeeze to milk some of his essence. He brought the hand back to his mouth and sucked it, enjoying the flavor. Next time they had sex, Kiba wanted to be able to properly taste Naruto's sperm as it comes fresh from his dick. And also… Kiba had never pleasured his own rear, and frankly he didn't know how he felt about it, but he sure would like to experience it.

Next time, at least once, Kiba wanted to know how it would feel to receive Naruto's hardened member. The blond seemed to like it so it couldn't be so bad.

"You" Naruto voiced with satisfaction, evening out his intakes of breath, "Happy Birthday, Kiba."

"Me?" answered Kiba after thrusting Naruto one more time before pulling out his softening member, "I think you were having more fun than I was" he joked.

"Can you blame me?" asked Naruto jovially as he sat up and rubbed his sore back. "Tell you what, why don't you go ahead and get dressed while I clean all of this cum off my legs and then we can go out on a date. You up for that?"

"I'm up for anything that has to do with you" Kiba grinned before kissing Naruto on the lips and darting off to the bedroom. Naruto laughed at the brunet's enthusiasm before deciding to reach for the phone and call Sakura. Unfortunately no one was answering her phone at her apartment and her mobile was turned off. _'Maybe she is still mad me'_ he thought depressingly before shrugging it off and opting to try again later.

Choosing first to deal with the problems he could resolve instead, Naruto went to get a paper towel in the kitchen to clean himself off before returning to the living room and putting his boxers back on. Yet as he reached for a pair of pants lying on the floor he heard the door to his house becoming unlocked.

'_Sakura?'_ he asked himself in puzzlement. But then Naruto remembered the state of undressed he was in and hurriedly pulled and zipped his pants up not wanting to give his pinkette friend a heart attack from his barely naked glory. God knows that she would easily clobber him for it even if it was her who walked in uninvited.

Being the one who received the heart attack however was _**not**_ something Naruto was counting on. That's why when he turned to greet his visitor and instead of meeting with green eyes he saw black, Naruto forgot how to breathe.

"My apologies for showing up unannounced but I knew you wouldn't mind." said the looming voice of the stranger at Naruto's doorstep as his black eyes scanned the place. "Can't say I love what you done with the place but then again I never liked you for your taste did I."

"Sa-Sasuke" was all that Naruto was able to word out in his state of shock. It was so inaudible that it made the smug Uchiha chuckle darkly.

The dark-haired male shook his head ludicrously as he basked in the atmosphere he was creating. "My my, how nice of you to remember my name" he commented mockingly. "Don't blame you though. The nights we spent together are something that even I find it hard to forget. But then again I was the one enjoying himself the most."

And as Sasuke said this he started to slowly advance on Naruto. The fact that the blond started to take steps backwards only fueled Sasuke's desire for more.

"What are you doing here?" asked the blond defiantly once his back collided with the wall. Naruto was trying to keep the other at bay by hiding his nervousness but Sasuke could clearly see the fear reflected in those blue eyes.

"Me? Why paying my favorite victim a visit of course. Though I must say it wasn't particularly easy to find you" Sasuke admitted with some disappointment. When he got close enough to the blond he suddenly leaped forward and with his right forearm pinned the unsuspecting Naruto to the wall by the neck, his head slamming hard against the concrete. "So it's Uzumaki now huh? Please, don't tell me you thought that a change of name was all it was going to take to keep me away. How pitiful."

Naruto's hands instinctively gripped Sasuke's arm to ease the pressure restricting the passage of air to his lungs, but beside that Naruto did nothing. The Uchiha smirked when he noticed that it wasn't necessary to strengthen his hold because Naruto was practically petrified on his spot in complete unadulterated terror. The young delinquent loved having that effect on people the most. It was simply one of the reasons why he may never dismantle his gang.

Yet now that Sasuke had his prey just where he wanted him, he took the time to examine his catch. What his onyx eyes saw however only served to make Sasuke frown. "You're taller" he muttered disapprovingly.

Last time they seen each other, Sasuke was a good 5 inches taller than Naruto. Now there barely was a half inch of difference. The Uchiha liked to look down on his victims when he did his thing and this simply wasn't as alluring. But that wasn't the end of it. No, that was just were the complications begun.

The next thing Sasuke noticed when his gaze traveled downward was that Naruto no longer had the lithe body Sasuke more than once enjoyed abusing. It was quite the contrary now, the shirtless Naruto revealed his perfectly toned muscles for the Uchiha to see. _'Maybe that means that he'll be able to handle more'_ Sasuke pondered, _'That could surely be a positive if worked the right way.'_

But Sasuke lost his amused expression and almost sneered when he saw the marks staining the blonde's upper body. _'__**Lovebites?**__' _he asked incredulously while fixing Naruto a menacing glare. _'Then that means –'_

"What's going on in here?" a gruff voice suddenly loomed in making Sasuke's face turn to its direction. Kiba curiously stared back at the stranger before noticing the arm restricting his whiskered boyfriend to the wall. Then the brunet's visage drastically changed to no longer passive. "What are you doing to Naruto?"

Yet before Sasuke could get a word out, Kiba had already rushed in and roughly pushed him away from the blond. "Naruto, you okay?" asked the brunet soothingly as he cradled Naruto's face in his hands. But as the blond remained unresponsive, Kiba released him and turned angrily at the obvious trespasser to demand answers.

"Who are you?" Kiba growled out. Yes, growled. It made Sasuke, who was patting the imaginary dust off his jacket, raise an eyebrow. Then the dark-haired male forced in a malevolent laugh when Kiba crouched down like a beast ready to pounce him.

"Really Naruto, the best you could do is someone who no doubt belongs in a mental institute? That's rich!" laughed Sasuke while combing a loose strand of hair behind his ear. "And what's with the tribal tattoos? Did I interrupt some kind of role-play?"

Kiba evidently didn't like how this intruder was openly ridiculing him and wanted nothing more than to prance on him and forcefully remove that smirk. But there was no way the brunet was leaving Naruto's side when he was still paralyzed on his spot. So instead Kiba snarled by letting an animalistic growl rumble loudly through his throat in an effort to sound more dangerous. "Leave!"

Sasuke scuffed at that but nevertheless raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hn, not like I was planning on staying longer" he mumbled dismissively before letting his eyes travel back to the stricken Naruto. The amusement that shone in Sasuke's eyes was crystal clear as he backpedaled to the front door. "I already got what I came for."

With that said and done, Sasuke slithered away just as smugly as he came in. Not a fingerprint in sight. The tattooed male had definitely obstructed Sasuke's morning plans but it was a complication the Uchiha was sure could be easily dealt with. The important thing was to give Naruto a good scare and Sasuke certainly was more than successful on that aspect of his mission. _'I wonder if there's a place nearby I can buy a leach from though.'_

As Sasuke disappeared from sight, Kiba twirled around to the sound of Naruto letting his weight drop against the wall and sliding down until he was seating on the floor. Kiba immediately kneeled in front of Naruto to see if he was okay but the blond still showed no reaction.

Naruto was like a zombie, unmoving and completely disconnected from everything going on around him. He was stuck in a trauma induced trance. But mostly he was beating himself up for it.

'_Why why why? After all my training, after all the work I did to better myself, and after finally getting my confidence back. Sasuke, my chance to at last put everything to the test and I just… froze. Why did this happen? Why is he here? Why wasn't I able to do anything? Why am I still doing nothing? I can't move! Why can't I move? Why-'_

"Naruto?" asked Kiba as he lightly shook the blonde's shoulder. Naruto was starting to hyperventilate and the brunet's worry was rapidly increasing tenfold.

"Dammit!" Naruto shouted as he punched the wall, his eyes tightly closed in anger and frustration. "I should have freaking punch him in the face! Why the hell did I have to freeze like that?"

"Naruto!" Kiba yelled as he roughly shook the blond by the shoulders to get his attention. Naruto's eyes widen as if he just remembered where he was when they met with Kiba's gaze.

"K-Kiba?" questioned the disoriented blond as if wanting confirmation.

"Thank God" exclaimed Kiba as he immediately hugged Naruto in a tight embrace. "You were breathing so hard it was scaring me" admitted the brunet.

Naruto slowly returned the embrace by wrapping an arm around his boyfriend before losing himself in his thoughts again. _'That's right, Kiba had to come to my rescue because I didn't do anything. What good am I anyway?'_

As Kiba rubbed Naruto's back, the brunet swallowed before getting the courage to ask the question plaguing his head. "Who was… Was that Sasuke? The one from your story?"

When he felt Naruto nod in confirmation Kiba separated himself from him and kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "Then don't worry about him" said Kiba trying his best to sound reassuring, "You can always count on trusty Kiba to kick butt and protect you!"

Naruto took in Kiba's proud confident grin before lowering his gaze and sighing with pessimism. "Yeah" he whizzed out unmotivated. The problem was that he didn't want anyone to have to come to his defense. Naruto wanted to prove that he was perfectly capable of protecting himself yet he knew he had royally screwed that chance up only minutes ago. Now he felt utterly useless and that definitely wasn't a good place to be at.

"I- uh- you can do it too, if you want" muttered Kiba dejectedly when he noticed Naruto's lack of consent. But then the brunet disposition brightened up liking the sound of his own idea. "Yeah that's it, I hold him and you strike him a good one. What do you think?"

The blond smiled at his boyfriend's continuous attempts to pick up his mood. _'That's right, today its Kiba's birthday and here I am moping around when we should be out celebrating. He doesn't deserve this.'_ So getting a better look at the tattooed male attire Naruto noticed something that was definitely different from any time before. "You're wearing jeans now?"

Kiba instantly jumped to his feet with a light blush on his cheeks while desperately trying to smooth out the wrinkles of his pants. "I-I thought it was appropriate since we are going out, or at least were. I n-never wore them before but I thought you might like it."

Naruto laughed at the questioning tone at the end of Kiba's statement and stretched out a hand for the new twenty year old to grab. Once Kiba helped Naruto to his feet the blond grinned mischievously and smacked Kiba on the rear before telling him that he looked nice.

That made Kiba flush red again as he turned around to complain to Naruto. "Hey I was the one supposed to tell you that. You can't just steal my lines!" he said referring to Ino's lessons. Notice how the part about only he being supposed to spank ass was left unmentioned. The blond could smack away for all Kiba cared.

"Ah don't be such a sore loser, hahaha" retorted the nineteen year old with a smile as he made his way to his room. "Tell you what, let me go change and then we'll go out for food and a movie. How does that sound?"

"Hmp" Kiba said while crossing his arms over his chest. But he wasn't fooling anyone, it was plain obvious he was thrilled by the idea. "Fine, but you better wear jeans too! I don't want to be the odd-one-out."

And that made Naruto laugh again, forever feeling grateful that he managed to find someone like his boyfriend. "Believe me Kiba, your tattoos do that enough for you already." But then again so did Naruto's whiskers. _'Sasuke… No, today is all about enjoying our selves. I'm not going to let him wreck my day._'

* * *

Kiba was really hungry so they ended up in a fast-food before going to the movies and opting to watch a flick that was on its last runs. Therefore their theatre room was relatively empty giving the young couple a chance to enjoy other activities that didn't quite involved paying attention to the film.

Afterwards Naruto wasn't really feeling like heading straight home so he suggested they take a walk in the park. Understandably he didn't want to return to the place where the grueling encounter with the Uchiha went down. Kiba on the other hand was just excited to be able to go to so many places that he went along with the idea without complaint.

Once there Kiba was genuinely surprised to see that jeans were apparently the most common trend here in Konoha as practically everyone had them on. The revelation was a little unsettling because it made Kiba wondered if he had to use them more often. Long pants still felt really stuffy to Kiba so he preferred to wear them as less as possible. It was true that they at least kept him warm but beside that small fact shorts were his favored choice.

When Naruto got tired of walking he bought a bag of bread crumbs for Kiba before sitting down on a bench as Kiba fed the birds. For the most part Naruto remained silent while Kiba carried most of their conversation. As the day darkened it was progressively getting harder for Naruto not to think about what transcended earlier at their home of all places.

Sasuke had come exclusively to give Naruto a scare and what was worst is that he got away with it. The blond didn't doubt that the Uchiha was getting off on it too, _'The sick bastard.'_ Naruto was also starting to wonder is he should consider moving to another apartment. Yet knowing that he practically was dirt poor he figured his options were few.

He briefly questioned how Kiba could possibly be this calm after what happened but then again he didn't know Sasuke like Naruto did. The blond just hoped that things would remain that way and that Sasuke wouldn't come back for more anytime soon. What Naruto failed to consider however was that because of an entire life spent surviving the Forest of Death, Kiba was already used to the feeling imminent danger on daily basis.

In truth even if Kiba were to be scared, the fact that he had constantly faced the potential of death everyday of his life made Kiba no longer feel stress under these situations as they were of common occurrence. That was why Kiba could remain calm and collected during these intervals while Naruto had to spend most of his day fighting down his anxiety.

"Hey Kiba" said Naruto when he finally took notice that it was already night. "How about we go out for dinner before we head home?"

"Sure but can we go someplace with meat?" he asked while standing up and stretching his limbs. "I wanna eat something chewy"

"Considered it done!" replied Naruto cheerfully as he copied what Kiba did. "I know the perfect barbeque place. It's a new one that opened up last week so it's bound to be good."

They smiled reassuringly at each other before Kiba took Naruto's hand and rushed him out of the park. Once out Naruto unhooked their hands in a way that didn't raise suspicions and led their way to the small restaurant. The blond wasn't prepared yet to let his orientation be known to the world so planned to keep it secret as long as he could. Well at least until he told the rest of his friends and judged their reactions first. Kiba didn't seem to notice Naruto's reluctance so it was all alright for now.

Once they got to the restaurant they had to wait for about 20 minutes to get a table. Not because the place was full but because the reception guy, Omoi, was so laidback that he sometimes forgot he was supposed to be doing his job.

"So how many are there going to be?" asked Omoi as he fingered the menus.

"Just us" answered Naruto while motioning to Kiba and himself.

"Only a party of two?" Omoi questioned lazily, his eyes switching from one guy to the other. Guys he determined to be dressed a little too nicely for this to be considered a casual stop and a little too informal for this to be considered a professional outing. "Oh well, whatever" he yawned." Please follow me to your seats."

After being showed to their table a waitress by the name of Karui took their orders and left them to themselves. Throughout their stay Naruto was noticeably distracted even though he was trying his hardest not to be. He wanted to be a good host but that was considerably difficult to do when having a rapist in your mind.

So when their meals finally arrived Kiba tried to refocus Naruto's attention by telling him all there was to know about Akamaru, the puppy. It worked! Soon the blond started to actively participate in the conversation and even started to tell quirky stories of his own.

From then on everything else sailed smoothly and all signs seemed to point at their night ending on a positive note. After their plates were emptied and the bill was paid they were pretty much ready to leave and call it a night. That is until Karui stopped them to tell them they had someone waiting for them in the back alley.

When Naruto inquired more about that unnamed person Karui mentioned that he looked like some kind aristocrat before turning to leave while quite audibly complaining about her being a waitress and not some messenger girl. In conclusion, the whiskered male determined that the service here royally sucked and that he wouldn't recommend the place to anyone.

By the description given the only name that popped in Naruto's mind was Neji; but what could the Hyuuga possibly want with Naruto?

Nevertheless the nineteen year old thought there could be no harm done in checking it out so with Kiba tagging along Naruto left the establishment and made his way to the alley.

Yet when they got there the alley was vastly deserted which majorly confused the blond. The couple walked in deeper for good measure before deciding to call it quits and heading back. But as soon as they were turning around Naruto was suddenly shoved to the wall with a knife pressed to his neck rendering Naruto unable to act. Before Kiba could react to what happened he was hit in the head with something heavy before finding himself being restrained by both arms.

The brunet immediately struggled against the hold until he heard the daunting voice of the main perpetrator.

"Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you" advised Sasuke Uchiha as he traced his infamous 5 inch knife across Naruto's neck. "One wrong move from you and I might- whoops" he said as he not so accidentally nicked Naruto's skin enough to draw blood. Sasuke smirked maliciously at his handiwork before addressing Kiba again. "Well you get the picture."

Needless to say that Kiba indeed got the picture and consequentially stopped resisting. This new found incapability to take action amplified Kiba's worry exponentially and frankly it scared him to no end. Being unable to aid the one you love had to be one of the worst feelings in the world.

Seeing that Kiba was no longer going to be a nuisance, Sasuke nodded satisfactorily at the two guys restraining the brunet before turning to give Naruto his full attention, smiling sadistically in the process of course.

"Sorry for bringing company, but seeing as we were interrupted last time I thought it fair that I also brought my boys to play." spoke Sasuke referring to the two most dangerous members of his gang; the twins Sakon and Ukon. Dangerous because of their bloodthirsty nature.

"I see that you kept the whiskers for the whole world to appreciate" continued Sasuke lecherously as he trailed the scars with a gloved hand before grabbing Naruto by the chin and turning his face so that Sasuke could have a better view at his masterpiece. "I always thought I had a knack for art but I must say that seeing you like this might be all I needed to finish convincing myself to pursue it."

As Sasuke cracked at his own joke, Naruto's eyes traveled to meet with Kiba's dark ones. Even though the blue-eyed blond was visibly shaking in fear he could clearly see that the brunet was in the same boat. The difference being that Kiba wasn't scared for himself but for Naruto. Kiba could probably take them on no problem yet he wasn't doing it because he was afraid that in doing so he would hurt Naruto.

That revelation made Naruto feel worst because he was the one letting this happen. It was a complete repeat performance of what went down this morning. _'Forgive me buddy, if only I was strong enough to do something believe me that I would.'_ And that's when his eyes widen in realization. He was strong enough to do something, he knew perfectly well how to defend himself; so then why was he hesitating? Was fear really all that's holding him back?

While Naruto was in the mist of his mental breakthrough, Sasuke easily got bored with his own lame joke and shoved Naruto harder against the brick wall to make sure a bruise was left. Kiba instantly tried again to jump in Naruto's defense but his attempts were just as quickly put to rest by a swift karate chop at the back of his neck courtesy of Ukon. Then Sakon forcefully grabbed Kiba by the scalp and pulled on it hard enough to make Kiba wince while telling the brunet to relax and enjoy the show.

Sasuke gave the twins an approving nod before refocusing on Naruto and letting a sadistic smile adorn his features. Even now the blond had done nothing to retaliate, just like the old times. So what if Naruto had a growth spurt and developed some muscle mass? In Sasuke's eyes he was still the defenseless fruitcake the Uchiha met a couple of years ago. And just like last time he planned to thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.

Playing his cards right, Sasuke leaned forward to lick the shell of Naruto's right ear before whispering his intentions to the blond. "You have no idea how long I been craving this. It's true that you changed but even a fool can tell you that won't be enough to keep me from having my way."

"You're right"

"What was that? You're going to have to speak louder because I can't hear you through your mumbling"

"I said that you are right" muttered Naruto loud enough for Sasuke to hear. "I have changed. Changed enough to do this!" and before the Uchiha knew it he got kneed in the family jewels by Naruto. As Sasuke stumbled backwards in pain Naruto took advantage of the situation to punch his attacker in the jaw and push Sasuke off of his persona. "Kiba!" he yelled to alert his boyfriend that it was okay to fight back now.

Being completely caught off guard by the drastic turn of events the twins had slightly loosened their hold on their captive and Kiba took the opportunity as his cue to escape. The tattooed male fully dropped his weight to the ground in order to slip from his captors' grasps and then spun on the floor in what looked like a break-dancing move to kick both gang members away from him.

When Kiba got to his feet he turned to the blond and shouted for him to be careful. Alarmed, Naruto turned to face his opponent and saw Sasuke launching at him with the knife on hand. The Uchiha threw in a few swipes before Naruto was able to grab the armed wrist with his left hand and then following it with an elbow to Sasuke's ribs. The force of the blow made Sasuke drop his knife and Naruto wasted no time in kicking it away from them.

On the meantime the twins were having a hard time keeping up with Kiba. The fact that the brunet's fighting style was wild and unorthodox combined with the fact that Kiba always stayed crouched low in his stance made it almost impossible for the twins to get a hold of him. Yet the twins didn't let themselves get thrown off by that detail because they knew they had the advantage. This was a _**numbers **_game, and with two against one there was no way they would fail.

Coming up with a new strategy the twins came at Kiba from different directions again and again until the brunet felt like he was being pushed around. That was when Ukon lunged at Kiba with a punch to the face but missed as Kiba twisted his body around to evade the blow and pounce on Ukon nailing him to the ground.

Yet before Kiba could land a hit, Sakon came from behind and caught him in a headlock. Kiba tried to force himself out of it but when he found he couldn't he opted for biting down hard on Sakon's arm proving that Inuzukas didn't have sharp canines for nothing.

Sakon screamed and released Kiba while clutching his bleeding arm. As Sakon shouted a long stream of curses, Ukon got his second wind and punched Kiba off of him so they could continue on with their scuffle.

Meanwhile Naruto and Sasuke were busy rolling on the floor exchanging blows. Finally Naruto was able to come on top and wasted no time pummeling his opponent. Yet Sasuke managed to stop both of Naruto's fists before aiming a well placed kick to the blonde's stomach to effectively pushing him off.

Getting back on his feet Naruto stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall. Even though the whiskered male was hurting he knew it wasn't over yet. So opening his eyes just in time to see Sasuke charging straight at him Naruto rolled to the side just in the nick of time before grabbing hold of Sasuke's black hair and slamming him face first against the concrete.

The impact was enough to make Sasuke fall backwards to the ground. As the Uchiha landed on his ass he clutched his face in severe pain. Enraged by it he tried to get up but Naruto placed a foot on Sasuke's chest and forcefully kicked him back to the floor.

"Enough you bastard!" yelled Naruto angrily as he got a couple of feet away from Sasuke. "I'm no longer scared of you so unless you call off your goons and swear to never come back you can kiss that pretty little face of yours goodbye!"

Sasuke glared heatedly as he slowly wiped his mouth with his jacket sleeve. This was _**not**_ how things were supposed to play out. Sasuke just got his ass handed to him by Naruto of all people and he got nothing to show for it. Now Sasuke knew he had to escape because all the ruckus they made was bound to catch someone's attention yet he refused to leave empty-handed. _'Good thing I always come prepare with a spare' _Sasuke thought as he finished wiping his mouth. The smug smirk on his lips instantly putting Naruto back on the defensive.

"Tell me Naruto, I heard from a reliable source that today was someone's birthday. Oh but that's right, you were born on October 10th so that means you were celebrating someone else's. Am I correct?" Sasuke asked as he seemingly out of nowhere pulled out another 5 inch knife. As the Uchiha twirled it around his fingers with a skill only a trained assassin should possess, Naruto's eyes widen as he figured what Sasuke intended to do. "Happy Birthday" mouthed the Uchiha.

If asked, Naruto could swear that the events that unfolded next happened in slow motion. At least that's how it felt to him. "Don't!" Naruto yelled just after Sasuke finished mouthing those two words yet without faltering Sasuke threw the knife to the side and with expert accuracy it embedded itself in the chest of an unexpectant Kiba Inuzuka.

The tattooed male took three steps backwards before clutching his heart in disorientation. Staring with confused eyes at the knife and then at what he thought to be Naruto's figure, Kiba started to cough up blood before losing his balance and starting his descent to the ground. The blond hurriedly darted to Kiba's side and managed to prevent what could have been a lethal fall.

Yet not being able to support the weight Naruto dropped to his knees with Kiba's form securely wrapped around his arms. Sasuke and his gang took this moment as their cue to flee the scene yet being the sadistic criminals that they were they couldn't help but to manically laugh at Naruto's expense along the way. But it wasn't as if the blond could hear them anyway because he was too preoccupied with what he had in front of him.

"Kiba, Kiba, Kiba!" he called desperately as the brunet kept coughing up even more blood. "Don't worry buddy, we'll get help soon, you just focus on being strong alright? We'll pull through." Yet even as Naruto spurred those words that were meant to be comforting _**he**_ was the one panicking and on the verge of breaking down.

It was at that instant that the backdoor of the restaurant opened and out came Karui with 3 trash bags on hand ready to be thrown on the dumpster. Well that was the original plan until she caught sight of the scene laid in front of her. "Wow, you know that boy is bleeding right?" she commented while wrinkling her nose.

"No shit Sherlock!" retorted Naruto completely loosing it. "Don't just stand there, call an ambulance, my friend just been stabbed!" but when Karui simply stood there staring Naruto screamed. "MOVE!"

"Oh- Right- Yeah- On it!" she stammered as she dropped the bags and ran inside to get the phone. Naruto then turned his attention to Kiba and saw that he was slowly losing consciousness.

"Kiba, hey Kiba, stay with me buddy" he said as he lightly slapped the brunet's face to keep him awake. Naruto then moved his hand to tousle Kiba's hair and that's when he discovered that the stab wasn't Kiba's only problem. He also had a gash on the back of his head from the first heavy blow done by the twins and it was also bleeding profusely. Naruto had to take a sharp intake of breath to keep him from sobbing. He had to be strong. He would not lose Kiba here. "H-Help is on the way, you'll see. You will be better in no time so please just stay with me."

The twenty year old angled his face so he could look at the blue orbs hovering over him. Blue eyes that were blurred by the tears that were threatening to drop at any second. Kiba smiled fondly at the hazy image before quickly becoming sad because he never got to directly tell Naruto that he loved him and right now the brunet couldn't find the strength to speak. With that last regret in mind Kiba's vision suddenly faded to black as he finally lost consciousness.

"Kiba?" the blond asked when the other closed his eyes.

"Kiba?" he asked again while lightly shaking the brunet's body.

"Kiba!" but it was no use, he wasn't responding.

"Kiba!" it couldn't end this way. Naruto wouldn't be able to move on without him.

"KIBA!"

* * *

**A/N: **_Damn I can't believe I just did that! Cliffhanger alert! I'm sorry (repeatedly bows head down in apology), but the temptation was just too great I couldn't help myself from doing it. Only two more chapters to go before this comes to a close so please stick around for that. Oh and one more thing, I may be evil sometimes but I don't write tragedies. Keep that in mind before you review =) _

**A/N 2:** _Funny story, haretikers (my twin brother) read my last chapter and thought it needed more. So right afterwards he sat down and out of nowhere pulled inspiration to write another lemon. Then he gave it to me and when I read it I told him that I just __**had**__ to use it on my next chapter (with some obvious twicks, add-on content and rephrasing of course) and he consented. Lol, he continuously accuses me of corrupting him with KibaNaru but I know he secretly enjoys it even if he doesn't admit it XD_


	16. Bonds That Make & Bonds That Break

**A/N:**_ This is the second to last chapter people! We are literally one chapter away from finishing this fanfiction. It makes me excited! Enjoy ^^_

**Disclaimer: **Kishimoto owns Naruto. All I own is common sense and the knowledge that if you electrify a wooden pencil it splitters into hundreds of little pieces. It doesn't vibrate. Guess none one told Kishimoto that.

"speech"

'_toughts'_

* * *

**Chapter 16: Bonds That Make & Bonds That Break**

It was 12:15 in the afternoon, the day after the attack, when the story begun. Naruto was anxiously sitting on a hospital chair as he nervously twiddle his thumbs in wait of what was about to come.

The blond, although in a relatively good physical condition, had to get his whole back patched up and his ribcage bandaged because of the few fractures he sustained. Nothing severe though. Apparently being repeatedly slammed into brick walls does that to you. Figures. Plus he had a black eye on his right side but other than that Naruto was free to go anytime he pleased.

On the other side of the room laid Kiba on a hospital bed since technically this was the room assigned to the brunet. The tattooed male was no longer in a life threatening condition and his health was stabilized. Naruto let himself smile at that.

According to the doctors Sasuke's knife hit just below the heart and didn't graze it in any way. That meant that Kiba's wound, although critical, wasn't fatal and didn't require mayor surgery. In fact the real reason Kiba fainted was because of the concussion he suffered. _**That**_ was the real issue.

Thankfully his skull wasn't broken but the damage was big enough to overtake Kiba and cause him to black out. But as of now the brunet was sleeping soundly with only his chest and head bandaged since unlike the blond Kiba had managed to evade most of the attacks directed at him.

Though the doctors said that Kiba should recover consciousness any minute now, they did warned Naruto that the brunet shouldn't be left standing on his own two feet because he might be subject to fainting spells for the consecutive days that follow. Head injuries were never something to be joked around with.

So why you ask was Naruto acting like if he was about to have an anxiety attack any moment now when everything else pointed at a speedy recovery? In short that could be answered with two words: _**Legal Guardianship.**_

You see Kiba was still under 21, technically he was unemployed since he wasn't a student, and was unable to cover his own expenses. That was precisely why he had a health plan. Normally it's the parents that respond but seeing as both of them are no longer in the living realm it meant that the next choice would be whoever possessed legal guardianship over Kiba.

In this case that was easy to pinpoint since that supposed guardian is the same one paying for his medical care. In other words it could be no one else but Hana Inuzuka the one who received the call which led to Naruto's current dilemma. Just how was he supposed to explain to her the situation without her blowing up on his face? That was a confrontation Naruto was definitely not looking forward to.

Yet as he saw the doorknob turning he knew that nothing could save him from the reproaches of an upset sister. So preparing himself to face the music, Naruto stood from his seat and put on a blank expression fully expecting the worst. And oh did it come.

As Hana hurriedly entered the room, closely followed by Juugo, her eyes scanned the room from the bedbound Kiba to where her main target, Naruto, stood. And boy did she not look happy. Without a minute to spare she quickly moved in on the blond, grabbed him by his hem of his shirt and demanded answers.

"Two days!" she barked while shaking him furiously. "You took my baby brother from me for only two days and already got him stabbed and sent to the hospital! How in Christ name did this happen?!"

Fortunately for Naruto, who was experiencing a hard time getting a word out with Hana's rough interrogation methods, Juugo came to the rescue by placing a hand on Hana's shoulder and gently reminding her that they were in a hospital.

Noticing for the first time that Naruto also looked banged up, the female Inuzuka begrudgingly released Naruto's shirt from her grip. She took a deep breath to calm herself down but the accusatory tone in her voice stayed as firm as ever.

"Well?" she said addressing Naruto in a much calmer manner (read: without the physical aggression). "Aren't you going to answer my question? What the hell happened to my brother?"

"Um, we got… mobbed?" pitched the whiskered blond hesitantly. Naruto knew that the truth wouldn't do him any favors so he tried to conceal it. He just hoped that Hana would buy it without asking for details.

Hana blinked twice before getting an angry scowl on her face. "Mobbed?!" she exclaimed. "Safest city in the Fire Country my ass, I knew those advertisements were full of bull!"

Juugo tried to calm his fiancée down again by pointing at Kiba's direction for emphasis. It was then when they all noticed that the twenty year old was shifting in his bed. Kiba was waking up; consequently making his sister forget everything else as she rushed to his side.

"Kiba" she muttered hastily while sitting on a side of his bed and helping him sit up. She wanted to be the first thing her little brother saw.

"Hana?" Kiba asked after a while as he opened his eyes before wincing in pain and closing them again immediately after. "My head hurts"

"Oh I knew it was a mistake to let you go. Don't worry Kiba, your big sister is here now and I promise not to ever let you leave my side again."

Naruto's alarm bells suddenly went off at that last statement but it was Kiba who questioned Hana. "What do you mean by not leaving your side?" he asked while rubbing a side of his head in a mild effort to relieve the feeling of vertigo he was experiencing.

"I meant what I said" Hana replied as she began massaging Kiba's temples for him. The Inuzuka male felt his pain reducing under her ministrations and was even able to open his left eye as Hana continued her explanation by restating that she planned on looking out for Kiba's welfare from here on.

"And what exactly is it that you're saying?" asked Naruto warily. The fact that from his point of view Hana seemed to be beating around the bush with her answers made him feel uneasy about what her intentions might be.

Hana pretended not to acknowledge Naruto's question and kept her focus on Kiba. She sighed knowing that she couldn't delay it any further. So grabbing Kiba's hands in hers she offered a small smile and laid it out straight.

"Look Kiba I know we started on a rough patch, I apologize for that, but I think it would be best if right after you are released from here you came back to live with us."

Naruto's stance changed as he panicked, "What! Why?" he asked while taking a step forward.

"What do you mean why?" she bickered, "You think that after nearly losing my brother again I'm just gonna take the backseat and do nothing? Konoha is obviously not a safe place to live. He'll be way better off living with me. Besides, this is a family issue so I'd appreciate if you butt out from now on."

Taking a step back Naruto bit his tongue to keep the insults he wanted to say from escaping. Yet again he found himself unable to think up a good comeback to her remark and it frustrated him. It was true that he understood where she was coming from but he didn't want to lose Kiba either. There was nothing Naruto hated more than feeling hopeless like he was now.

Juugo sent a sympathetic glance at Naruto before moving to stand behind Hana to show his girlfriend his support.

"But I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with Naruto." pleaded Kiba feeling like he was getting ganged up on. Why they were so insistent on taking him away from his significant other was something he had difficulty understanding.

Removing her scowl and switching back to her sisterly ways, Hana turned to face her brother again. "Kiba, if what worries you is that I send you away to that camp then there's nothing to fear 'cause that's no longer an option. I wasn't thinking before, I acted prematurely, that plan was a mistake. So you see; there's no reason for you to stay here anymore. What do you say? Won't you come back home with me? There's nothing else keeping you here anyways, right?"

"Wrong" stated Kiba unhooking their hands, "Did you forget? I love Naruto!"

"Y-You do?" asked Naruto completely caught by surprised and blushing bright red.

Kiba tilted his head to face Naruto while giving him a confused look. "Yeah… don't you?" and before Naruto could answer, an astonished Hana also turned her full body around to put in her two cents. "YOU ARE GAY TOO???" she screeched wondering how in heaven's sake did she overlooked something like that.

In a moment of reservations Naruto looked from Kiba to Hana to Juugo, who was avoiding eye contact because he didn't want to be pulled into this, before landing back on Kiba's awaiting face. _'Oh screw it'_ he thought as he rushed in to give Kiba a bruising kiss for everyone to see. "I love you too"

Kiba smiled through their kiss and fisted Naruto's hair to pull him in for a more passionate play of lips. The brunet's tongue was quick to request entry and Naruto abided by parting his lips and grating Kiba permission to ravish him. As they explored each other's mouths Hana galled and buried her face in Juugo's chest in a desperate attempt to block the images.

Juugo held her by the waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear what they had already discussed during their drive here. "Remember what we talked about. The key is tolerance and acceptance." Hana nodded in understanding and slowly separated herself from him.

Her fiancé was right. She had already acknowledged that Kiba's ideal lover might be closer to her preferences than what she would had initially liked. She was also aware of the fact that it meant that her brother might find himself a partner sooner or later; and just maybe she had naively thought that the day would never come. But she never expected it to happen _**this soon**_!

Everything seemed to be happening so fast and Hana was still having trouble digesting it all. It hasn't even been a month since she got the call that Kiba was alive and her world already felt like it had been completely turned upside-down. It's never easy to change from one ideology to another, especially when she had such a conservative upbringing.

Yet in this particular case she reminded herself that she had no other choice in the matter. Naruto's words from the other day still rang true in her ears. Hana was one of the lucky ones as not many received a second chance like the one she got. Without a doubt she knew that she had to make her best effort at being open-minded or else she'll run the risk of losing Kiba forever.

When Naruto finally separated himself from Kiba their faces lingered close to each other as they stared lovingly into one another's eyes. Laughing lightheartedly at the magnetism they seemed to share for each other Naruto inched closer to steal one more kiss before completely detaching himself from the brunet, a smile adoring both their features.

Juugo chose that exact moment to clear his throat with the purpose of both reminding Naruto that there were still people in the room and to announce that he was heading out to find the doctor now that Kiba had woken up. As Juugo said this he cocked his head toward the door to signal Naruto to come along.

The whiskered male glanced at Hana, who remained with her head hung low giving her back to the bed, before locking his blue eyes again with Juugo's careful ones. "Fine" Naruto grumbled, "I'll help you look" he said as he yielded to accompany Juugo outside.

Even though the blond didn't like the idea of leaving Kiba alone with Hana, he figured that the Inuzuka siblings deserved at the very least to have some one-on-one time. But if she thought that she was still taking Kiba away then she had another thing coming because Naruto refused to give him up without a fight. It was with that last train of thought that Naruto closed the door behind him as he exited the room.

"So it's just you and me alone, huh" mumbled Hana somberly as her gaze remained downcast. Kiba opted for simply staring at his hands on his lap and made no comment. Neither of them knew what to say to the other so none moved from their respective spots. Because of this a moment of sound defying silence ensued as they waited for the other to take the initiative and say whatever was on his/her mind.

Minutes seemed to tick by at an agonizingly slow pace for both of them. The tension in the air was so palpable you could cut it with a butter knife. Shifting nervously in his bed it was the tattooed male who broke the silence by going first and restating his sentiments from before as clear as possible. "I'm staying with Naruto" he declared leaving no room for discussion.

Hana stopped rubbing her arms at her brother's statement and softly asked him if his decision was final. When Kiba responded in the affirmative, that reconsideration was not an option, Hana took a calming breath before turning around to face Kiba once more.

"If that's what you want then I won't stop you" she said with a strict business face that hid all emotion to emphasize the seriousness of their situation. "But if we are going to do this then you must accept these following conditions. You will allow me to buy you a cell phone. You _**will**_ call me at least once a week to keep me updated. I expect you to visit me every Christmas and other important holidays; ask Naruto to explain it to you and be sure to drag him along. And most of all you have to promise that you'll be happy or I won't let you stay. Do we have a deal?" she asked sternly.

Kiba tilted his head as he processed all that his sister had just said before breaking into a huge grin when he caught that all of the conditions had to do with her wanting to protect their brother/sister ties while valuing his independent wish to be happy with whoever he chose. She wasn't trying to push him away or change him anymore.

"Agreed!" he beamed flashing his genetically advanced dentals in a dazzling smile. Hana's tough exterior crumbled away as she closed in on Kiba to give him a kiss on the forehead to seal the deal before stepping away and returning the smile.

What followed next was Hana going all big-sister-mode with her asking a bunch of questions about Kiba's life with Naruto as they waited for the doctors to arrive. Such questions were along the lines of seeing if Kiba was being fed right, if he was getting sufficient sleep, if Naruto was being watchful enough, etc. Kiba tried to answer them accordingly as best as he could; and like always, as honestly as possible.

Unfortunately for Naruto that included mentioning a few details he might had preferred to stay quiet about at least until more time had passed. That was why he was caught off guard when Hana cornered him the moment he walked in.

"What does he mean that you are already sharing a bed with my brother!" she shrieked as she violently shook him by the shoulders.

"Ow ow ow it burns, it burns it burns!" cried out the blond referring to the fingernails that where digging into his back. When Hana realized that she was gripping his injuries she gasped and released him while muttering a quick apology or two. Consequently Naruto landed on his butt and a severe jolt ran through his spine on impact.

Precisely then the head doctor of the medical facility, Tsunade, came barging in. When she spotted Naruto sitting on the floor she scolded him for failing to take better care of himself arguing that laying on concrete ground was in no way beneficial to his recovery. The blond male mumbled something about how it wasn't his fault that he was there to begin with before getting up with the help of Juugo.

After doing the routine checkup procedure on Kiba and deeming him stable, Tsunade prescribed that Kiba would be ready to be discharged in under an hour. The release papers were handed to Hana for her to sign and after seeing that everything was under control and that they were no longer needed, the soon-to-be-wed couple decided to say their goodbyes and leave with a promise to keep in touch.

Hana went directly to her brother to give him a hug goodbye. Not wanting to be left out of this touching moment, Juugo gave the male beside him a friendly pat on the back as his to say his farewells. It was only after he did so that he realized the mistake of his gesture as Naruto immediately cringed while arching his back in pain.

Juugo was quick to apologize and Naruto was able to squeak out between gritted teeth that he was fine; assuring that it was only a flesh wound. He'll survive.

Once the engaged pair left the room, Tsunade made Naruto take a seat and remove his shirt so that she could check his bandages before writing a few other things down on her clipboard. She told them they were free to leave whenever they wanted and headed to check on other patients.

Yet before she could leave Naruto stopped her with a question. "Hey, erm, wait!" he babbled to get her attention. "Eh, sorry to keep you but ahh, can you um, how can I say this…"

"Spit it out Mr. Uzumaki, I'm needed elsewhere"

"Right!" said Naruto standing up straight before relaxing his stance a little. "Um, I was wondering if you could tell me if Sakura Haruno is working here today."

Tsunade raised an inquiring eyebrow at the question. "Oh, and who wants to know?"

"A friend, just a friend" Naruto replied without breaking eye contact. Then feeling like he needed to explain more he continued, "You see she is not answering her phone and I haven't seen her in a while. I just wanted to make sure she was alright, that's all."

"Hmm, I see" answered Tsunade getting pensive. "From what I heard Ms. Haruno asked permission to take the week off citing that she needed rest and won't be coming back until next Monday. I apologize but that's all I'm allowed to say."

"N-No it's fine! Thank you for your help, honest."

The head doctor examined Naruto some more before nodding and leaving the blond with some parting words. "Oh and Mr. Uzumaki, try not to get yourself slammed into walls any time soon, at least not while in recovery."

"Yeah" Naruto retorted with a pinch of sarcasm, "Because I obviously enjoy slamming myself into walls for the spirit of it."

"One never knows" responded Tsunade in a singsong way as she eyed Kiba before hinting at something before leaving. "Only you know what kind of strenuous activities transcend in the bed you share with Mr. Inuzuka here"

Naruto gawked at what she implied before flushing crimson red in embarrassment because it meant that she must have heard Hana's earlier outburst. _'Great, now every one of Sakura's co-workers is gonna know that her friend is a queer. Funkingtastic!'_

Kiba laughed at Naruto's glum expression and got himself ready to leave. He couldn't wait to get back home and do exactly what Tsunade had just warned against doing in bed.

-_-_-_-_-(Later)_-_-_-_-_

Climbing up the staircase to their apartment proved to be no easy feat. Kiba's legs were wobbly and he couldn't keep himself up for more than a minute so he had to lean on Naruto by throwing an arm over the blonde's shoulders for support. Meanwhile Naruto was trying to ignore or at least suppress the effect the additional weight was causing to his aching back. In other words they were screwed as far as mobility went.

"I feel like my head is spinning" whined Kiba when they finally reached their front door.

"That's your concussion speaking" said the blond as he unlocked their door. "We're almost at our room so don't go passing out on me yet alright?" joked Naruto before winking playfully at Kiba. "I sure ain't lugging your dead weight all the way to bed."

Kiba smiled at that one. "I know you won't. You'll probably stay on the floor and let me use you as my cushion until I wake up" the brunet stated with a toothy grin making Naruto pout at being figured out and causing Kiba to laugh. "You love me, you love me!"

"Yeah yeah laugh it up" replied Naruto as he helped Kiba sit on the bed. "At least I'm not the one who needs crutches to walk" he retorted.

The tattooed male said nothing to retaliate and instead lifted his arms eagerly so that Naruto could help him take his shirt off, his good mood not diminishing for a second. Once that was done with Kiba kicked his shoes off and soon his pants afterwards before sliding his body backward so he could rest his head on the pillows. Lastly he patted the spot beside him nonverbally inviting Naruto to come join him.

Naruto chuckled at Kiba's actions yet followed suit by undressing all the way to his boxers and sauntering to Kiba's right side, a.k.a. the side that wasn't stabbed with a 5 inch knife. Settling down next to his boyfriend he carefully placed a hand on Kiba's chest while resting his head on the crook between Kiba's shoulder and collar bone. The brunet reciprocated by wrapping his right arm around the blonde and hugging him closer to his warmth.

With their eyes closed, their legs tangled together and with half of Naruto's body laid on Kiba the couple perfected that act of cuddling.

Although perfectly happy with the idea of just staying in bed all day like this it didn't take long for Kiba to open his eyes when he felt a wet substance on his skin followed by the almost unnoticeable shuddering of the body on top of him. "Naruto, are you okay?" he asked worryingly.

"Yeah -sniff- sorry Kiba" uttered Naruto while lifting his head to wipe his teardrops away. "Don't mind me" he said trying to play it off, "I don't know what came over me" finished the blond with a forced smile.

"What's wrong?" asked the brunet not buying it. "You were crying, I want to know why"

Naruto tried to hold Kiba's concerned stare but as his eyes started to water again Naruto had to look away. It was just too much. Now that they were in the safety of their home and away from all unnecessary distractions, it suddenly dawned on the blond how close they came to not having this moment ever again.

"I thought I lost you" whispered the blond choking up. "For a minute there I really thought you were leaving me behind."

Kiba tried to interrupt him by telling him that it was all alright now but the whiskered male shook his head and stopped him. Naruto needed to get this out of his chest first before he lost his control to his emotions. Naruto's gaze then landed on Kiba's face, or more specifically on the bandages around his forehead.

"You could have died Kiba. I don't know if I would have been able deal with that" he said closing his eyes tightly not wanting to imagine it. The brunet's arms surrounded Naruto's form, consciously making sure to be gentle with his back, and brought him closer. Naruto buried his face under Kiba's chin as the tattooed male kissed the top of his head and ran a soothing hand through his blond locks. Naruto relaxed and inhaled the familiar scent that was so uniquely Kiba's.

"Don't know what I'll do without you Kiba. I love you so much I couldn't stand to lose you" he admitted in hushed tones. He felt so vulnerable opening up like this yet he knew that it was okay as long as he was with Kiba.

"Heh, look at me…" expressed Naruto perking up as he rubbed the remaining tears away, "…making of fuss over something that didn't even happen. Pretty stupid huh? I honestly never thought I see the day when I fell for someone like this" he confessed while lifting his head in order to tease Kiba. "So you better promise you won't ever leave me you lucky bastard or I'm gonna have to tie you up. Your choice!" he joked.

"I promise" replied Kiba feeling very amused as he gripped Naruto's chin with the left hand to bring him in for a passionate kiss. Naruto smiled into it and snuggled closer to the brunet. Kiba then rearranged their positions so that the blond was seated on his lap, their scorching play of mouths remaining uninterrupted.

Tears already dried, Naruto helped himself to more by letting his hand travel south to Kiba's bare stomach where he traced the defined lines of the brunet's abs with his nails sending delighted shivers to his lover. Kiba in return went from kissing Naruto's hot mouth to his chin and later to the sensitive spot under the blonde's jaw that Kiba knew made Naruto squirm with desire.

After making sure he left a mark on Naruto's neck, Kiba returned to his boyfriend's lips as he allowed his hands to roam every part of Naruto's exposed skin until reaching the rim of his boxers. Stalling his actions for a short minute of hesitation, Kiba decided he wanted to go further and subsequently drove his hands under Naruto's garment and cupped his ass cheeks.

Of course no action came without a reaction. In this case said reaction projected itself in the form of Naruto immediately pulling away in alarm. "K-Kiba, we can't do that. No extraneous activities, doctor's orders, and that include sex in case you missed it."

"But why?" Kiba pouted crossing his arms over his chest. He honestly saw no harm in sneaking in a little loving or two while in bed.

Naruto shook his head in disbelief and ruffled Kiba's hair before answering. "Because if you move around too much your chest wound might reopen" the blond explained logically with a humored wink, "Besides, I can't afford to have you slamming me into anything right now even of it is just the mattress."

Kiba rolled his eyes at that one and deflated back to his pillow. But then as an idea popped into his head Kiba propped himself up using his forearms and gave Naruto a wide grin. "Then how about you do me instead?"

"Wha?" asked Naruto unintelligently. The blond was sure he must had heard wrong because Kiba couldn't possibly mean what Naruto thought the brunet was suggesting.

"You heard me" answered Kiba smirking proudly. "If you do me then I don't have to move from my spot and you don't have to worry about being slammed into anything. Perfect solution right?"

"I ah, you sure about this?" Naruto questioned once more. Although it was true that Kiba's apparent foolproof proposal could work, there were still a few things needed to take into consideration. First one being that Kiba was an anal virgin and probably didn't know what he was getting himself into. Secondly that Naruto had never toped before since that wasn't really his thing. This certainly could prove to be quite the experience for both parties involved.

"Positive" confirmed Kiba as he wrapped his arms around Naruto's head to bring him down for another kiss. At the same time he lifted his hips to rub his package against Naruto's own. The frictions between their clothed members making both men moan.

When Kiba moved one of his hands to cup Naruto's shaft through the fabric and gave it a little shake Naruto finally surrendered to Kiba's will. The blonde rapidly discarded both his and Kiba's underwear, and clutched both their meats with one hand to join them together.

The couple moaned into each other's mouths from the extreme jolt of pleasure they felt when their uncovered cocks brushed one another. They bucked their hips in alternate successions to increase that wonderful sensation until Naruto squeezed his hold on their erections and started to jerk them off.

"Naruto, unf, I want to feel you inside" breathed Kiba between pants. The blond hence broke their kiss in order to look around the room until he spotted the brown bag on his nightstand. Reaching out for it, subsequently slowing down his ministrations with the other hand, Naruto looked through its contents until he found the jar of lube he was looking for. He'll have to thank Ino for her convenient gift later.

Once the jar was on his hand Naruto stopped their frotting and sat back on the bed in order to open the container. Kiba propelled himself up again with his forearms and watched curiously what the whiskered male was doing. Naruto smiled when he was able to pop it open and dipped three of his fingers in it before glancing at Kiba's way.

"This will feel uncomfortable at first but hopefully you will get use to it. Just tell me if it hurts too much okay?"

Kiba nodded and watched as Naruto moved to insert his index finger inside of Kiba. The brunet cringed momentarily at the unfamiliar feeling of having something enter him but otherwise welcomed it all the same.

When Naruto saw that Kiba accepted the intrusion without making a fuss he decided to just go ahead and insert a second finger. This time however the tattooed male clenched his teeth and clawed the bed sheets.

"Are you alright?" asked Naruto worriedly. "Did I move too fast?"

But as Kiba shook his head and said he was fine Naruto discovered that Kiba had the worst poker face ever. With the brunet's heaving breathing and the crease between his eyes from how tightly he was shutting them, it was crystal clear to Naruto that Kiba was not fine at all.

In truth Kiba was feeling horrible. He never experienced something so uncomfortable and he felt like his rear was burning up. But at the same time he didn't want Naruto to back down from this so Kiba chose to not voice his discomfort. Not that it served him any since Naruto had been there before and therefore was pretty aware of what Kiba was going through.

"You're a bad liar" voiced Naruto as he started to pump Kiba's ever impressive rod in an effort to distract him from the pain. Then he lowered his head between Kiba's legs and performed a series of nibs and kisses on his inner thighs. That seemed to do the trick because Kiba lessened his death grip on the sheets.

The very minute Kiba did so, Naruto began moving his fingers in and out before leaving them inside and doing scissoring motions in order to stretch Kiba further.

Kiba winced at the sensations of being stretched and briefly wondered how Naruto could put up with this every time. The truth was that Naruto was a heavy practitioner of anal stimulation, which meant that he enjoyed fingering himself every time he masturbated in order to reach 3 times his normal high. In short, seeing as Naruto continuously stretched his own fuck hole he didn't need much prep work to get down a dirty. On the contrary Kiba had never done it before and that was precisely why Naruto was being extra careful by using lubricant to ease the process.

When Kiba started moaning at Naruto's ministrations the blond took it as his cue to insert the third and final finger. Yet before Kiba could get uncomfortable Naruto pressed his tongue flat on the underside of Kiba' erection while continuing to pump that rock hard cock. When Kiba gasped at the double sensation of being finger fucked and receiving a hand job, Naruto's confidence went up for doing the right thing.

It didn't take long for Naruto to engulf half of Kiba's mast, which was an ambitious amount itself, and start bobbing his head up and down on it. His hand moving down to fondle Kiba's balls before continuing to pump the lower half of the brunet's length. Kiba groaned because of it and tangled his hands in Naruto's hair to help guide a rhythm. When precum started to leak within Naruto's mouth the blond knew it was time to take it up a notch.

So removing both his mouth and his fingers from Kiba's body, Naruto planted a couple of kisses on Kiba's built stomach before moving away and reaching for the brown bag again. This time around he searched through its contents until he found a different sort of item. A condom. Sure it meant that he wouldn't feel as much heat but hopefully it also meant that he would last longer. The blonde highly doubted that sex would be as spectacular if he climaxed before Kiba did.

Pumping his own impressive cock to get himself hard again while opening the wrapper with his teeth, Naruto rolled the condom on his manhood before spreading Kiba's legs further apart and positioning himself at Kiba's entrance.

"I'm not gonna lie, this is probably going to hurt at first and you most likely won't like it. But it'll get better soon enough, I promise. You okay with that?"

"Already told you, I want it" said Kiba giving the blond the go-ahead.

"Last chance. Are you sure?"

"Naruto?"

"Yeah Kiba?"

"Stop talking"

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you" answered back Naruto, and with that he started to enter the brunet.

Kiba bit hard on his lower lip the moment he felt Naruto penetrating him. The way his ass was being stretched to allow passage to Naruto was indeed more painful that what he previously thought it was going to be. And what was worst was that Naruto wasn't even half in yet. _'Just how did people enjoy this in the first place?'_ Kiba asked himself. This was definitely not like what he saw in the DVDs.

After making it half way in, Naruto pulled out before burying himself further in. The blond repeated said action again and again until he was able to fully sheath his cock in Kiba's anal cavity. Moaning extensively at how tightly the inner walls of Kiba clamped against his dick, Naruto stopped his progression in order to help the brunet adjust to his size.

With one hand Naruto lifted over his shoulder one of Kiba's legs and with the other hand he resumed the pumping of Kiba's throbbing organ to make him feel good as quickly as possible. Then the blue eyed male leaned forward to kiss away the tears forming under Kiba's eyes before switching to the brunet's neck and sucking on it fully intending to return Kiba's earlier favor.

"Feeling better?" Naruto asked while keeping his undivided attention on Kiba's neck.

"Been worst" muttered Kiba after much trouble. He hugged the blonde's head closer to him for security.

"Hmm, just think" commented Naruto between sucks and kisses, "I let you inside me all the time and yours is bigger than mine. You don't see me complaining."

"Yeah, you're right" Kiba agreed feeling accustomed enough to open one eye up. The tattooed male was able to produce a small grin before countering with his own argument. "But that's because you love taking my big cock up your butt." Kiba defended distinctively remembering how Naruto begged for it last time they did it.

Naruto chuckled into Kiba's skin in agreeance. "Believe it!" he spouted unable to deny the claim. Bottoming for Kiba had to be one of Naruto's top 5 guilty pleasures. Definitely up there with Ichiraku's all-you-can-eat ramen.

Kiba joined in with a small laugh of his own before releasing Naruto's head and telling him that he could move now. The blond nodded his head and reeled himself back after planting one last kiss on Kiba's lips. Naruto slowly pulled out of the brunet until only the head of his dick was inside before slamming his length all the way in with a force that shook the bed.

The twenty year old grunted loudly in order to stifle the scream he wanted to let out. But when Naruto went and repeated the same action again Kiba grunted once more but for an entirely different reason.

"Enmph!" Kiba moaned, his body shuddering under Naruto's own, "What was that?"

Naruto perked at this, _'Did I find his sweet spot already?' _he thought and tried to pound his thick rod in the same spot he did earlier.

"There, do that again" Kiba commanded, his gruff voice quivering with want. Naruto pulled out and re-angled his trajectory in order to better hit that same spot with his following thrusts.

With his prostate continuously being pounded like that Kiba _**really**_ started to enjoy himself. He wanted nothing more than to cling to Naruto's back and make sure the blond went deeper into him yet Kiba knew that would be a bad idea. Naruto's back was damaged enough as it was and didn't need the brunet to contribute further.

However like Kiba still needed something to hold onto he moved his arms over his head and settled for gripping the headboard instead. The wood surely wouldn't complain if he left there a few dents or ten.

On the meantime Naruto kept pounding into Kiba's ass with increasing speed. Just like the blond had guessed there wasn't enough heat because of the condom although the sweet friction was certainly amplified. But then again the sounds of Kiba's moans were enough to bring just about anyone over the edge. Alas that was precisely where Naruto didn't want to go yet.

Therefore before Naruto could reach the point of no return he doubled the attention he was giving to Kiba's cock. The blond pumped that hot rod like there was no tomorrow. That, combined with the incredible ass-fucking he was receiving and the fact that he was already leaking precum, was enough to make the brunet reach his climax. His hot semen exploding all over his chest and stomach, some of it even hitting his chin.

Naruto shuddered, pleasure surging throughout every ounce of his body at the way Kiba's anal walls clamped around him. Naruto was close now, he knew it, and it was going to be the orgasm of his life!

Kiba called Naruto's name between pants after coming down from his high. They made eye contact and somehow that was all Naruto needed for him to know what the tattooed male wanted.

Pulling out of Kiba's ass and removing the condom, Naruto wasted no time positioning himself over Kiba's body. The blond grounded his knees at either side of Kiba's torso and started to jerk himself off in front of Kiba's face.

The brunet yet again lifted his upper body using his elbows and opened his mouth anticipating the big finish. The whiskered male couldn't hold it anymore and began very vocally to shoot his load all over Kiba's chest and face. The brunet wanting more took control of Naruto's shaft with his right hand, swallowed half the mast into his mouth, and proceeded to suck off as much of Naruto's sweet nectar as he could.

With his other hand Kiba pumped his own cock to squeeze out whatever amount of sperm that remained. Gripping the headboard to remain in place, Naruto moaned at the oral treatment he was receiving. When it was all said and done Naruto collapsed at Kiba's side, mouth open and breathing heavy as he rejoiced in the wonderful sex he just experienced.

Meanwhile Kiba brought his left hand up to his mouth and licked his own seed off of it. Then he rolled to his side and with the same hand gripped Naruto's hair and brought their lips together so he could taste both their essences as well. Naruto immediately wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck and pressed their mouth closer together. The demanding kiss they shared only proving just how strongly the felt for each other.

They separated for the need of air yet their lips remained brushing against one another. "You are amazing" Naruto voiced with satisfaction, evening out his intakes of breath.

"You got it wrong," Kiba responded breathlessly before lightly pecking the other's lips, "Naruto, _**we **_are amazing, together."

"Together?" Naruto questioned with a smile.

"Together." confirmed the brunet resting his face next to Naruto's head and hooking an arm around Naruto's midriff to snuggle together. The blond turned on his side as well to face his lover and did the same with Kiba. They stayed like that enjoying their intimacy to their fullest capabilities. Or at least that was how they would have remained if their growling stomachs hadn't picked that interval to remind them that they hadn't eaten lunch yet.

"Oooowie, I think I better go fix us something" said the whiskered one while sitting up and patting his belly.

"And I'll help!" said Kiba also moving to sit up. Yet the tattooed male was stopped on his tracks by a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh no you won't" replied Naruto firmly pushing the brunet back down. "Sorry buddy but I can't allow you to leave the bed until you're recovered, doctor's orders."

"Awww" Kiba groaned laying his head down and crossing his arms over his chest. "Not fair, why do you get to move and I don't? It's no fun to stay here all day." He said mumbling the last part out.

Naruto laughed playfully at his partner. The blond would have never guessed that Kiba was much of a complainer when he didn't know how to speak. But now that the brunet did Naruto could add yet another attribute they had in common. The only difference being that Kiba was more vocal about it.

"Hahaha, and what exactly do you want me to do about it?" Naruto asked filled with mirth.

Kiba's eyes traveled his boyfriend's body as he considered the numerous possibilities he could come up with. Unsurprisingly they were all geared to the same direction. Being steadfast, Kiba sat up and got in-between Naruto's legs. Then he lifted Naruto's buns and sat him on his lap. "You could stay" Kiba whispered seductively in the blonde's ear as the brunet grinded is hardening cock against Naruto's butt crack.

"Fine" sighed the blond as he pushed Kiba away and got on his feet. "But first we eat!" he declared. Naruto was starving and he was sure that Kiba was hungry too.

The nineteen year old stretched his limbs, making sure to be careful with his back, and scratched the itch he had on the side of his nose. Then he went to put his boxers on while he addressed Kiba one more time.

"I'm gonna fix us some sandwiches before the bread reaches its expiration date and tonight we'll have my world famous bowl of ramen" he stated. "As for the sex-"

"Love" Kiba cut in; and when Naruto gave him a confused look Kiba amended his earlier correction. "Not sex. Say love instead."

"Riiiiiight…" Naruto consented. "As I was saying, when we get to our _**love**_making the same ground rules apply" said the blond giving extra emphasis on the word and making Kiba grin. "I think it's best if I just ride your cock instead. All you have to do is sit back and let me do all the work. You down with that?"

"Sounds fun" approved the brunet feeling content. Naruto nodded at Kiba and headed to the door but before the blond could leave the room Kiba stopped him. "Mmm and Naruto"

"Yeah Kiba?'

"Nice ass!"

The blue eyed male simply shook his head at Kiba's silliness and closed the bedroom door with a smile on his face. "Idiot" he muttered good-humoredly.

"Who's an idiot?" spoke a voice from behind. Startled, Naruto turned in fright to come face to face with the one and only Sasuke Uchiha sitting on his couch and drinking a cup of coffee.

"God I hate this stuff" criticized Sasuke setting the cup aside on the coffee table. "You should consider making the change and buying tea instead." He said turning his head towards Naruto; the only visible evidence from their previous fight being Sasuke's busted lip. "Hn, guess it can't be helped."

Naruto backed himself against the wall as a reflex. But when he remembered what the Uchiha did to Kiba the blond got angry and all signs of fear vanished.

"You" Naruto spat as he marched to Sasuke and forced him on his feet by fisting his jacket. "How dare you show up in my house after what you did last night?!!"

The dark haired male stared unconcerned into the other's glaring eyes. "You're wrinkling my coat" he answered boringly.

"Shut it you asshole!" Naruto yelled as he aggressively shook his intruder some more. "This is _**my house**_ and I'll do what I want!"

"Hn" offered the brooding Uchiha prior to posing a condensing question of his own. "Have you always been this loud?"

That only served to anger Naruto more. He strengthened his grasp on Sasuke's jacket before shoving him back to the couch. But before the blond could do anything else Sasuke pulled out a pocket knife and pointed it at Naruto.

"Bastard" Naruto cursed backing away.

Sasuke smirked smugly at this until he heard the bedroom door opening again. Out of it came Kiba with the bed sheets wrapped around him. The moment Kiba heard Naruto yelling the brunet knew that something was wrong and didn't twice about coming to his aid.

"You're alive" acknowledge Sasuke with a little hint of surprise although it quickly changed to indifference. "I must be losing my touch" he added not really seeming to care.

Kiba instantly went on the defensive the second he caught a glimpse of the knife. "Get away from Naruto!" he growled.

"Make me" Sasuke countered unimpressed.

The brunet moved to do just that but wasn't able to take three steps of his own without stumbling on his feet and landing on one knee. Naruto quickly went to his side and helped him by throwing Kiba's left arm over Naruto's shoulders as he hoisted the brunet up.

"I told you to stay in bed" muttered the blond to his boyfriend. Naruto had to secure his right arm around Kiba's waist to keep him steadied. "You shouldn't be moving on your own."

"Wasn't going to leave you, not ever" Kiba replied trying to stand for himself and failing. Having to accept that he had to rely on Naruto's support to keep his balance, Kiba turned to the blond and smiled reassuringly. "I promised it to you, remember?"

*Clap, clap, clap*

The Uchiha applauded mockingly as stood up from his seat and made his way to the couple. "What a touching display. Heartfelt, really. But if you'd excuse me I'll like to get back to our earlier conversation while we are young if you don't mind."

"What do you want?" spat Naruto. "Just leave us the fuck alone already!" he snarled. Kiba bared his sharp canines to show that the feeling was mutual.

"Stop with the theatrics" huffed Sasuke pointing his knife once again at Naruto. The Uchiha ran an irritated hand through his hair as a calming gesture before asserting himself to the pair in front of him. "Look I didn't stop by for mindless chatter nor I came looking for blood, at least not while my favorite knife remains confiscated in the medical facility. I already have my men working on that in case you're wondering."

"I wasn't!" cut in Naruto.

"Like it matters" answered Sasuke. "I only came to warn you that my threat from years ago still stands. Don't bother weaseling me out to the authorities. Save yourself the embarrassment because they won't do a thing about me. But if I find that you did so anyways, well…" Sasuke simulated the outcome by running the blunt side of his knife across his neck, "Are we clear?"

"Pfft, I knew that already you sick bastard. That's why I lied to the doctors and the police and told them that we were mugged and didn't get to see their faces. Happy now?"

"Hn, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" said Sasuke pleased with how things unfolded. He twirled his knife and stored it away in his back-pocket. It always felt great when things went according to plan, but Sasuke didn't have time to bask on it since he had other appointments to attend.

So backing away with a noticeable I-always-get-what-I-want attitude, Sasuke couldn't help but to smirk at his handiwork. He once again demonstrated his superiority by showing Naruto and his guard dog how truly helpless they were against the Uchiha, and always will be.

The only real shame was that Naruto had apparently grown some balls and resisted Sasuke's advances. But whatever, the blond was replaceable. Sasuke was sure in his ability to find plenty of other preys that fitted Naruto's charm and didn't have a tattooed freak tagging along. It was just a matter of looking for the right scenario. What's really important is that Sasuke proved that he was unstoppable. There was no one in this planet that could possibly get in his way.

Sending one last arrogant glance at the 'powerless' couple while opening the front door, Sasuke turned to find himself with… pink?

…

There were two figures standing at the entrance and blocking Sasuke's way out. One with very light blue hair and the other one with bright pink hair, boy and girl respectively, and they were both surprised to see him. But none were more startled that the pinkette in front of him.

"It can't be" stammered the girl bringing a hand to her mouth. She could not believe her eyes. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes widen in recognition. "Sakura" he muttered. He also could not believe his eyes. The Uchiha never thought that he would ever meet her again, here of all places. When Sakura and Naruto had their big fallout in high school Sasuke could had sworn that their feeble friendship had forever ended. He never expected that Naruto and Sakura stayed in close contact with each other. If he had then Sasuke would had made his gang spy on Sakura in the first place instead of having them shadow Hinata's every move. So imagine Sasuke's surprise at seeing that girl standing right in front of him.

Naruto heard Sakura's name and got frighten for her safety. Who knew what someone as sick as Sasuke would do? So he shouted for her to get away saying that it was dangerous to stay. Naruto had no idea that the pinkette had eavesdropped on his conversation with Kiba the other night so he had no idea that Sakura already knew all that she needed to know about Sasuke.

The blond feared that she might want to confront Sasuke for the answers he never gave her or worst, that she might still be in love with the Uchiha and turn her back on Naruto. Either way the whiskered male was sure that he wouldn't like the outcome so he wanted to prevent it as long as he could. That's why he became shocked by what would happen next.

Meanwhile Sakura was having an emotional clash of her own. Here she was in front of the guy she once unconditionally adored. Said man being the same person she grew to hate even though she didn't have legitimate reason for it until three nights ago. To see him so suddenly standing there in front of her without any warning was so unexpected it had her shell-shocked. She didn't know how to respond.

But then she heard Naruto's worried voice and it all seemed to click. _'What am I'm doing? This is it, what I been waiting for. My chance to finally make things right!'_ And just like that Sakura lowered her head knowing what she had to do.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the girl's awkward reaction. She was avoiding eye contact by staring at her feet and her whole body was trembling. But enough of that, Sasuke really didn't have time to deal with their ill-fated reunion and frankly he didn't care for it. But as he opened his mouth to tell her to step aside he suddenly found himself looking the other way with a searing pain on a side of his face.

The Uchiha brought a hand up to his cheek and had to instantly pull it away because of awful sting he felt when he touched his skin. Deep black eyes shifted their way back to the original direction they were facing and saw a tightly closed fist impeding their view. _'Did Sakura... just... PUNCH ME?'_

"Stay away from Naruto and don't ever come back" she warned Sasuke emphasizing every syllable.

He narrowed his eyes at her and in a moment of lost composure he reached for the knife in his back pocket. No one disrespected him like that and got away with it; and to the face no less. How dare she get in his way? Sasuke saw red and he wanted payback.

Yet as he went to pull the knife out he found himself unable to. Correction, he found his hand restrained by the guy he had previously overlooked.

"Tut, tut, tut; I wouldn't do that if I were you" Suigetsu Hozuki said as he restrained Sasuke from behind. With his free hand Suigetsu made a makeshift gun by pressing two of his fingers on one side of Sasuke's head. "Why not let me clarify the situation for you, alright?" he asked giving the Uchiha a ginger smile that showed his shark-like teeth.

Sasuke squinted his eyes but remained silent. Suigetsu took it as his cue to continue.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Suigetsu merrily, the oddity of it being how he always seemed to have fun in these types of circumstances. "See I don't know who you are or why my leading lady threw that terrific hook at you; but I can tell that you're not necessarily welcomed here. Not to mention that you are outnumbered." stated Suigetsu putting his serious face on. "So why not do yourself a favor and walk away without making a fuss, yeah?"

The Uchiha removed his grip on the knife and shrugged the other away. "Whatever, none of you are worth my time anyway." He said not sparing anyone a second glance and walking away.

Suigetsu cheerfully waved goodbye at Sasuke's back before catching the look that Sakura was giving him. "What?" Suigetsu asked playfully. The pinkette just rolled her eyes at him and went inside the apartment to check on Naruto and Kiba. Suigetsu sighed and followed her in after making sure that Sasuke had left the premises.

"Naruto!" worried Sakura after rushing in and stopping at arm's length from the duo, her eyes scanning the condition they were in. "Wha- What happened to you, to the both of you?" she asked. Then Suigetsu, who stood beside her, whistled at the damage. "Whew, looks like you had a rough night. I feel so left out."

Kiba laughed at Suigetsu's joke but the other two chose to ignore him in favor of the more pressing issue. Suigetsu backed off nonchalantly but thankful that at least someone appreciated his efforts to lighten the mood.

"I, we were ganged up Sakura" explained Naruto hesitantly, this wasn't easy for him. "We just got released from the hospital this afternoon. We're supposed to be resting"

"Oh" muttered Sakura feeling dejected. "I understand, today is a bad time. I'll leave. Sorry for bothering you" she said turning away.

"No! I didn't mean it that way!" replied Naruto taking a step forward and reaching out for her. But before he could rectify his mistake Kiba got dizzy and temporarily let his weight drop. The blond had to pull back to help his boyfriend keep his balance, but it also served to catch Sakura's attention as she also turned around to help steady the brunet out.

"What's wrong with him?" Sakura asked already feeling Kiba's head for a fever and making diagnosis of her own.

"A concussion" answered Naruto. "The doctor said that Kiba was going to be subject to fainting spells and that's why we were advised to keep him in bed until he recovers"

"Then you better get him back to your room as quick as possible" suggested Sakura stepping back and remaining professional.

Naruto nodded as he tried to remember the reason he was out of the bedroom in the first place. "Why was I here again?" he asked himself aloud to which Kiba supplied an answer. The brunet opened one eye up to watch the other's reaction.

"You were going fix us some snacks and then you were going to ride my cock until we both passed out."

"Right!" Naruto responded before reciting it aloud without thinking. "I was going to make us sandwiches and ride your cock unti- KIBA!!!"

The blond now had a mortified blush covering his entire face and was inwardly cursing his absentmindedness. "Kiba we got company!" he whispered in embarrassment, "We don't say that kind of stuff in front of others" he muttered self-consciously. Even Sakura seemed embarrassed for him.

Kiba just grinned at him and barked out laughing. He loved seeing Naruto flustered like this.

Suigetsu simply scanned the people around him judging their reactions. Was he the only one who caught that the roommates just came out of the closet in front of them or was he the only one who wasn't on the know? Apparently it was the later. Shifting his eyes back to Kiba he tried to remember when he had seen the brunet before since Sakura had never talked about him.

"Now I remember!" Suigetsu burst out catching the attention of everyone around him. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Kiba. "You're that streaker we picked up at the party for rich folks the other week." He said giving Kiba an amused grin. "From tablecloths to bed sheets, nice. You sure don't fool around do ya?"

That earned him a stomp on the foot courtesy of Sakura. "Out!" she pointed at the door signaling him to wait for her outside. Suigetsu grumbled about Sakura being a tease but complied nonetheless. At least Kiba smiled at his jokes.

Sakura sighed and turned her gaze back to the couple beside her. Naruto and Sakura stared uncertainly into each other's eyes as if waiting for something else to happen yet it didn't. Kiba could feel the awkward air around them and shook Naruto's shoulder wanting him to say something already.

Being shaken out of the numbness, Naruto looked away and bit his lower lip not knowing how to articulate what he wanted to say. And in the end he bailed out by saying that he needed to get Kiba back to his bed. Sakura nodded her understanding and watched how Naruto slowly led Kiba away to the bedroom, the brunet rambling along the way about how good it was to see her again and that he missed her.

The pinkette keenly waved her goodbye at him until both guys disappeared behind the door. She lingered in her spot indecisive about leaving, and even rearranged Naruto's travel magazines in order to give herself time to make up her mind. Yet finding no other plausible motive for stalling, Sakura swallowed her disappointment and made her way to the exit.

However before she could take a step outside she found herself being pulled back by a hand of her wrist. She twirled around and to her surprise saw that Naruto was the one preventing her from leaving.

"Wait" pleaded Naruto not being able to bring his gaze up to meet hers. Naruto rubbed the back of neck with his other hand in a nervous manner but fortunately he already found what he wanted to say.

"Thank you" he said finally meeting her green eyes with his blue ones. "Thanks for… coming back, and choosing me, even if I didn't deserve it." He continued while releasing her wrist and shoving his hands in his front pockets. "It really means a lot to me that you'd do that. I- thank you."

Sakura's eyes teared as she moved quickly to hide her face in Naruto's chest while hugging him tightly at the same time. Needless to say that Naruto flinched at the ache emitted by his protesting back and Sakura had no choice but to detached herself from the blond while muttering a quick apology.

When Naruto felt the burning sensation lessen, he grinned at the crestfallen female and opened up his arms wide. "Now let's try this again shall we?"

The pinkette smiled as she wiped her tears away and went to hug him again, being careful with her embrace this time around. Naruto in return slowly wrapped his arms around Sakura and held her close to his body making the girl sob in his chest again. These ones were tears of happiness.

"You are a great friend Sakura" he whispered into her hair.

She made it, Sakura had finally made it. After all these years she felt like she had finally gained her friend back. Like the strain in their relationship had finally been mended. Like Naruto trusted her again. The feeling was so overwhelming she couldn't help her tears from spilling. With Naruto cradling her like this Sakura felt like a huge weight had been lifted of her shoulders. That small gesture alone made Sakura feel for the first time in a long while that it was okay for her to live and seek her own happiness. She never wanted to let go of that feeling.

The pinkette smiled into Naruto's chest and gently pushed him away. "Off you go now" she said. "Can't keep Kiba waiting can you?" she joked lightheartedly.

Naruto returned the smile and unattached himself from her. "You're right" he joked following her string. "If I don't prepare our food now he might eat me later."

"That's no good" she replied covering her mouth as she laughed. But them she got a whiff of the air and lost all playfulness. "You stink" she stated. Then she glanced around the messy room and added to her earlier remark. "As a matter of fact this whole place stinks. Have you cleaned this house once after I left? This room alone looks like if it got hit by a hurricane"

"Yeah, about that-" Naruto started but was cut off by Sakura.

"I bet you haven't even done your laundry have you? No wonder you are only in your boxers. And your bandages are loosed. What exactly were you doing with Kiba before I got here? Knowing Kiba I bet that his are just as messed up as yours." she stated, pausing only to give the blond gloating smirk. "Face it Naruto, you're helpless without me."

He rolled his eyes at that one but otherwise said nothing to discredit her. Sakura rubbed her triumph in Naruto's face some more before sharing their farewells with Sakura promising to stop by later to redo the bandages and 'disinfect' his home. Feeling way more satisfied than when she previously tried to leave the place, Sakura exited and closed/locked the door behind her.

"Someone is glowing" commented Suigetsu catching the extra skip in her step.

"Oh shut up" said Sakura without meaning it as she circled her arms around Suigetsu's neck and pecked him on the nose.

That made Suigetsu raised an eyebrow. "What, no bitchy comebacks or bruises? You're not on drugs are you?" he questioned half serious.

"Don't be dumb fish-brain or I'll have to stomp your other food" she retorted pushing herself away and moving to the stairs. But she only made it one third of the way before turning around to face Suigetsu again in a pose fit for an angel. "And thanks for not freaking out on the my best friend being gay thing. You honestly surprised me there."

"Well what can I say?" said Suigetsu hooking his arm over Sakura's shoulder and flicking his wrist in the air with the other, "I'm easy" he grinned.

"You can say that again" Sakura muttered under her breath, sticking her tongue out at the other. "Don't forget that I caught you flirting with that saleslady yesterday by the jellyfish tank"

"For the last time I wasn't flirting!" Suigetsu defended, "I only asked her if the blob of a jellyfish was as squishy as a real boob or as hard as a fake boob. She's the one that misinterpreted it and came on to me. I was just waiting for you to come and save me."

"Yeah right" the pinkette said not buying it. She stepped away from his arm and commanded him to follow. "Hurry up, I want to get to the store before traffic gets heavy"

"Where are we going?" Suigetsu asked losing his smile. "I thought we agreed that we were heading straight to my house."

"That was before I had my talk with Naruto" she explained nonchalantly like if she was pointing out the obvious. "Plans change and now I feel like celebrating. So we're stopping at the minimart so we can get you the rubber protection. Catch my drift?" she questioned accentuating it with a sway of her hip.

Suigetsu blinked stupidly as he processed her innuendo. And then his eyes widen in realization before a grin that would make any piranha proud stretched on his lips. "Now we're talking!" he exclaimed while hoisting Sakura up over his shoulder and rushing down the stairs.

"Put me down!" Sakura scolded while throwing unpowered punches at Suigetsu's back.

"No time" proclaimed Suigetsu holding the girl in place. "To the sexmobile!!" he said referring to his beat-up convertible.

Sakura sighed briefly wondering how her taste in men changed from dark and mysterious to silly and bright. It must be Suigetsu's lack of fear to dangerous situations and to her aggressiveness what won her over. Still that didn't mean that she couldn't play hard to get so she continued beating down on Suigetsu's back as he continued their descent down the stairs.

Not that Suigetsu minded it. He considered their banter as foreplay eventually leading to hot steamy rough premarital fucking. The good kind if he may say so himself. If asked later on, Sakura would describe this as the best day of her life. 1) Striking Sasuke with a right hook, 2) Earning back Naruto's trust, 3) Mind-blowing sex as her reward with Suigetsu. Yep, definitely the best day of any girl's life.

_END_

* * *

**A/N: **_Another chapter done; one more to go! All that's left is for me to write the Epic Epilogue and then we're finish! So if you want to know what ever happened to Gaara and his siblings, if you're dying to know if Ino got her big break or not under Shikamaru's tutelage, if you're expecting the long awaited arrival of Rock Lee to the scene, if you're asking yourself if Naruto will ever come clean to his friends, if you desire to know what the future holds for Kiba, If you crave for more Hinata, Shino, Neji, TenTen, Juugo, Hana and Akamaru, if you are wondering why the fuck was Chouiji yet to be mentioned in this fic, if you are curious about Sakura's and Suigetsu's relationship, if you are praying that Kishimoto's plot-shield doesn't protect Sasuke in this fic ,or if you are simply looking for one last KibaNaru lemon; then the next chapter is for you! _

_Read & Discuss XD_


	17. The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki

**A/N:**_ Final update, woohoo! Another story finished in under a year. Whew, I almost missed my quota, just barely. I want to thank all of you readers for staying with me and making this my biggest story yet! Over 100 favs, more than 120 alert; and WOW, This is the first time I passed the 300 reviews barrier. Thanks a ton for the support! Now enjoy your reading ^^_

**A/N2: **_This epilogue is divided by a series of short scenes that are loosely connected to each other. The chapter is quite long (27 pages) so if you want to take a break from reading and finish later then you'll be perfectly able to do so. _

**Disclaimer:** Did everyone know that Kiba, Naruto and Ino are all blood type B? Funny piece of trivia there since all three of my favorite characters have that in common. Another thing they share is that none of them belong to me but I'm guessing everybody already knew that one.

"speech"

'_thoughts'_

* * *

**Epilogue: The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki**

Sakura Haruno was in bliss as she crossed the street from her apartment complex to Naruto's. Today she was officially moving out and so would no longer be Naruto's across-the-street neighbor. Sakura had packed all her things because she was now officially moving in with Suigetsu.

The pinkette didn't know if what she had with her boyfriend was something that would stay in the long run or if it was nothing more than a good time that won't last. And to be frank she could honestly care less for whatever the outcome may be.

A lot of time had already been lost with her worrying about every little detail and feeling accountable for everything. Sakura wanted to break away from that routine by being free and spontaneous for a change and allow herself to have some fun.

Medic school required enough seriousness already for her professional career so why not allow herself some loosening up in her personal life? Moving out was a spur-of-the-moment decision but it was one she was happy of making because it made her feel like she was finally liberated from the guilt that bounded her down. And dare she say it; she owed it all to Kiba magically appearing in their lives.

That was precisely the reason why Sakura had crossed the street. While leaving Suigetsu to finish up loading all her things into both their vehicles, Sakura left the scene wanting to pay one last surprise visit to Naruto and Kiba as their neighbor.

She was sure they would beg her to stay, and secretly she would savor that, but ultimately she'd have to explain to them that it is something she must do. Besides, Suigetsu didn't live that far away so she would still be able to visit as frequently as she use to, the only difference being that it was no longer a simple walking distance between them.

It was something she was certain they'd get accustomed too in no time so she had no worries about. Not to mention that Suigetsu's place was way closer to the Health Clinic so it definitely benefited her.

Yet as Sakura reached her destination something else captured her attention. It was a sound she was sure she was familiar with but for some reason that escaped her she couldn't exactly figure out what it was. All that she was able to pinpoint that it was coming from inside Naruto's apartment. Curious to what it was the pinkette leaned in and pressed her ear to Naruto's front door for further inspection.

*Unf, Thud, Unf, Thud, Unf, Hnnf, Unf, Thud, Unf*

Sakura quickly detached herself from the door looking more puzzled than ever. She was now more positive than ever that she had heard that sound before and it ticked her off that she still couldn't match it to anything. _'Are they moving furniture?'_ she asked herself. Whatever it was she would be sure to find out soon enough as she juggled Naruto's house keys and prepared to investigate. But just then she heard a crash hence she wasted no more time rushing in.

-_-_-_(Minutes Earlier)-_-_-_-

No cautioning came as Kiba gave a fierce thrust of his hips, hitting Naruto's prostate with piercing accuracy and inducing the loud moan that ripped from the blonde's lips. His body quaked with pleasure as Kiba slammed into him. Gripping tightly to the table Naruto was willing to feel more of that blissful feeling. Naruto loved the man he was with, and to Naruto there was nothing more euphorically gratifying than submitting his body to the ministration of the animal that was his lover. Bucking his hips against Kiba's, the brunet was able to bury his unbendable mast deeper into the blonde.

Naruto had never paid much attention to the intricacies of hardwood furniture before. The whorl of the tree's knots or the luster of the varnish had always seemed like something that belonged in a catalogue, not in the forefront of his mind. However as he currently felt the ridges and valleys in the dark maple wood support his sweat slicked back, and with Kiba thrusting into him so hard bright spots were erupting in front of his eyes, he couldn't help but be thankful for the grand table and its creator.

The blonde's fingers slipped and skidded as he tried to find purchase, guttural animalistic noises escaping from his throat, his eyes squeezed shut with pleasure. Kiba was breathing heavily, his breath fanning him from his stomach to his throat and ears as he moved up and over Naruto's shuddering body. The tantric pressure between them built up in stacked layers, Naruto's hips grinding faster and deeper, his pumps becoming more and more frenzied and wild.

They both let heady moans out freely, littering the air with curses and confessions as they hoped that the pleasure of their utterly savage fucking wouldn't make their brains implode. The table slammed repeatedly against the wall; pants and exclamations punctuated by its rhythmic thud. Naruto grabbed Kiba's shoulders holding on for dear life as the brunet did all he could to make his plunges come out of Naruto's mouth.

Kiba wrapped a shaky fevered hand tightly around Naruto's cock and squeezed and twisted and milked him for all his worth. Coarse moans and utterances spilled in from the mass of entangled, straining, pulsing limbs shifting on the table.

The walls shook and the table legs screamed as they moved across the floor, the legs closest to the wall hitting it with such a force it was a wonder the wall didn't just pack it in and shatter into a mess of ply-board brick and plaster. Thunderous booms sounded from above Naruto's head, though by now the two of them were so far gone a truck could have crashed into the side of their house and they would have just kept on ramming into each other.

With Kiba spearing his massive erection into Naruto's ass, the later was quickly becoming nothing more than a ball of nerves raw with sensation. The blue eyed male couldn't possibly keep a lid on his control any longer so he wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck and forcefully brought their mouths together as he shamelessly moaned into Kiba's oral cavity. Both of them were at the end of their ropes now, it was just a matter of seconds before that wonderful climax could be reached. Yet the way they crossed that finish line wasn't as they were expecting it to be.

Because of their completely disregard of anything that wasn't the person in front of them, they didn't notice that the teetering joints of the table could take no more. The legs closest to the wall splintered and collapsed, pitching the swearing Naruto backwards and forcefully shoving Kiba into him. Consequently the brunet impaled the blonde at an angle unachievable from any other position, hitting something so deep and carnal and goddamn sensational that both of them instinctively rocked into each other, erupting against and into one another.

A pulsing, throbbing and surging tidal wave of pleasure swarmed and flooded their brains until any coherent thought was no longer a viable possibility. Sliding gingerly off the table, still embedded in each other's skin and hair and entire being, Naruto tipped his head forward to meet Kiba's forehead, his quaking lips brushing against the flushed ones before him.

"That was..."

"Yeah." Kiba agreed.

"We need a new table." said Naruto smiling impishly. Right now they were pretty much too exhausted and in love to care anything. The blonde only wanted to bask in their afterglow. Kiba was about to say something back but then the front door suddenly slammed open.

"Guys are you okay in there?" asked a female voice and they could hear footsteps quickly coming their way.

Kiba and Naruto were too tangled up in each other to fix themselves up adequately on time and before they knew it Sakura's face popped out from the other side of the table. And a moment of awkward silence ensued until…

"Kyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Sakura covered her eyes and screeched like she never had before.

-_-_-_(Suna's Desert)-_-_-_-

One place where Sakura's scream didn't reach was cross the border in Suna; it's desert to be precise. There three lone travelers paced their way in what was supposed to be a family bonding experience. Too bad none of them counted on the toll the desert was going to put on their bodies. Yet in a way that may have been exactly what the Sabaku siblings needed.

Not having seen each other in a very long time neither of them knew what to say to each other and so their trip had been a very awkward and silent one. But after two hours traveling under the grueling Sun and still no trace of their destined oasis, Kankuro thought he found the perfect excuse to break the ice.

"Are we there yet?" he asked aloud from the back of the line.

"Don't you have eyes Kankuro?" shot Temari from her spot in the middle. She was walking in between her brothers. "Of course we are not! Do us a favor and use them more often, hmn."

"Why I oughta-" Kankuro mumbled before biting his tongue to drown the rest of it. So what if he failed to take into consideration Temari's snappy nature? Minor setback; he was just gonna have to try a different approach, that was all. "Boy, it is sure getting hot out here!"

Yet Temari's sharp mouth never skipped a chance to shut someone down. "Thank you for your contribution 'Mr. State the Obvious'. And here I was wondering why I didn't bring my winter coat to a desert" she retorted sarcastically.

Kankuro gritted his teeth at that one but refused to let her put down his efforts. "I _**meant**_ that the temperature it's hotter than usual this time of day" he said enunciating every single word to see if his sister got the hint; but to no success.

"Well if _**someone**_ hadn't covered himself up entirely in black then maybe that someone wouldn't feel it as much; and then just maybe _**he**_ wouldn't be making stupid little comments ever so often. Now wouldn't that beat all?" replied Temari in a scolding manner.

"Grr, well at least I'm the one trying to make conversation here!" shot back Kankuro finally losing his temper.

"And I'm telling you to can it!" snapped back Temari. She turned her head to face her brother as she continued her onslaught. "Can't you see that by remaining silent I'm trying to get us used to each other?"

"Oh real smart sis!" Kankuro answered just as sarcastically as Temari had previously been. "Care to explain how are we going to do that if we don't speak to each other first?"

"Easy, but first tell me just how are we ever supposed to get used to each other when you keep running that annoying mouth of yours?"

Gaara, who was taking the lead at the front of their line, quietly shook his at his siblings' behavior. It was nice to see that they hadn't change that much but judging by their behavior it was hard to believe that they were actually older than him.

The redhead tried to tune out his siblings as checked his compass. Judging by time and the distance they traveled Gaara knew that they wouldn't make it to the Oasis any time soon. Therefore he proposed that they make camp and put up a tent until the Sun went down a little because the heat was also wearing him down.

Yet his siblings misinterpreted it as if Gaara had gotten into a bad mood and immediately they went to place the blame on one another. Consequently that started another bickering session on who was more at fault in tampering with their youngest brother's mood.

Gaara refrained from rolling his eyes at them and went on by himself to find a suitable ground to make his tent. He was able to find a peculiar spot where the floor was basically a cracked boulder and where the sand apparently went around of without invading its space. Peculiar indeed.

But whatever, Gaara didn't have time to ponder on it. He was busy trying to think of away to make his siblings stop arguing without sounding like he was threatening them or that he would rather bury them alive. Believe it or not that was actually a hard thing for Gaara to pull off whenever he spoke. Only Naruto seemed to be unaffected by it.

Exhausted with his thoughts Gaara dropped his gear to the floor and struck the ground with one of the poles from his tent. Surprisingly it went in deeper than it should had and when the redhead tried to pull it out a squirt of black liquid stained his left shoe. Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow at that but then all of the sudden a tremor hit the ground.

Temari and Kankuro instantly quieted down at the shake and wasted no time in rushing at Gaara's side. And just when they got there a mountain size gazer erupted from the ground causing all three of them to fall on their asses.

All three of the Sabaku siblings looked up as they registered the same thing.

"That's oil isn't it?" asked Kankuro as he stared in amazement.

"You know what that means don't you?" said Temari also lost wonder.

Gaara wiped the oil drop that fell on his cheek as he came to the same conclusion as the others. "We are rich."

-_-_-_(Konoha's Outskirts)-_-_-_-

"Kin Tsuchi here, reporting in from the outskirts of Konoha where a 6-hour police siege has and still is taking place. Apparently an ex-employee who goes by the name of Mizuki lost it when he got laid-off and has taken a sniper position on top of a local supermarket. The offender's weapon of choice is a semi-automatic rifle. Police forces are doing their best to apprehend the man but so far no progress had been made. It has now been confirmed that the…"

As Kin along with her team, Dosu the cameraman and Zaku who was in charge of the lights, continued the on-the-scene report they were famously known for, another shooting rampage interrupted the telecast as everyone had to duck for cover.

Yet none of them are who the story is about. In fact our main focus of attention happened to be among the curious bystanders that have crowded the perimeter around the area in hopes of getting a firsthand glimpse of how the scene ends. Ino Yamanaka was the name.

It had been a month since Ino started marketing herself under Shikamaru's tutelage and by now she had expected to be living the glamorous life. Except that wasn't the case. True to his word Shikamaru had presented Ino the chance to meet with hundreds of top liege directors and producers but sadly she wasn't able to spark any interest in them as none saw any potential in her to be in front of a camera.

Baffled by the continuous closed doors they stumbled on, Shikamaru concluded that maybe the road of an actress wasn't what was best for Ino at the moment so he suggested that she stayed in a low profile while he revised their strategy. So as of now Ino was reduced to a life of nothing more than a spectator.

Funny how life works when everything you do seems to lead you on to the right path only to stumble on a huge roadblock at the end. Ino's career was going nowhere fast and somehow the thought that it was some kind of divine retribution for all the mischief she'd done embedded itself to her brain.

Maybe it was all the time she used Sakura's car and debit card without permission, maybe it was the way she exploited Kiba for her own benefit, or maybe it was because of the virginity ring she wore because of a promise she made to her father that she hadn't quite kept. Whatever it was she was sure that it chose now to haunt her.

'_Ooooooooo, Not fair!'_ she inwardly shouted. _'Okay so I may have taken advantage of them but come on! It's not like I killed a guy. What do I have to do to catch a break here?'_

It was undeniable, Ino had hit rock bottom and was desperate for some kind of signal. She didn't want to end up a failure her whole life.

'_I'll do anything! I'll be a better friend, I'll do charity work, I'll stay celibate- well maybe not that but I promise to stop lying to my parents. I'll even credit people in my acceptance speeches!'_

Yet as fate would have it nothing happened and Ino deflated to the ground inconsolable and inattentive to the ruckus around her. _'Who am I kidding, none of that matters. It's not like it saves any lives or changes anything. I don't posses anything worth giving.'_

The blonde female crossed her arms over her knees and covered her face in them completely unaware of the odd looks the people around her were giving her. Feeling utterly defeated she resigned herself to think of other things.

'_I wonder how Whiskers is holding up. According to his landlord he was behind in paying for a few things and now he got another mouth to feed.'_ Ino sighed and muttered under her breath the rest of her thoughts. "If I made my first million I could give it to Naruto to help with his payments. Now wouldn't that be awfully nice of me for a change?"

Suddenly out of the blue everybody started screaming and running away as a stray bullet landed their way. Ino abruptly lifted her head in alarm and that's when she saw it. Kin Tsuchi stiffened and gradually fell over. Everyone gasped as Dosu dropped the camcorder and went to her aid.

Ino's legs trembled at the unexpected turn of events but her gaze stayed glued on the microphone that rolled on the floor. _'Maybe I went a little too far with my self-promises. A million is a lot now that I think about it.'_ But when Kin was suddenly starting to come into, the blonde had a quick change of heart. _'Scratch that! I mean of course a million! Heck I'll do whatever I can to make Whiskers life easier if I pull through!'_ And just like that Kin fell unconscious again.

Then, not knowing where she found the extraordinary courage to do so, Ino stepped under the police barricade into the danger zone, grabbed the mic and ordered Zaku to pick up the video camera. Zaku immediately did as he was told because he still had a job to do and because his sudden state of panic temporarily blinded his ability to reason.

Rushing over to Kin's body, Ino crouched down and continued the newscast. "This is Ino Yamanaka reporting live from the Food Shack for…" she squinted her eyes to see the name on Zaku's badge. "KLV News. One of our reporters has been shot in the shoulder and is receiving treatment as we speak. Follow me as we try to get a word out of one of the officers."

She was a natural.

-_-_-_(Airport)-_-_-_-

Tenten, Neji and Hinata were already waiting at the airport when Kiba and Naruto arrived. The reason? Rock Lee's plane was about to arrive and they wanted to give him a Hero's welcome before he had to do his press conference for the gold medal that he won.

Well at least that was what Naruto and Tenten planed on doing. Sakura too wanted to celebrate but she couldn't skip her job early so to make it up to Lee she was throwing a party at Suigetsu's place.

Neji, to a lesser degree, was also there to congratulate Lee but everyone doubted _**he**_ would make it to the party. He was known for being stuck up like that. On a side note Hinata was just tagging along for a chance to be with Naruto again. Everyone expected _**her**_ to attend.

All three of the before mentioned raised their eyebrows when they saw the tattooed male accompanying Naruto. Tenten remembered him as the guy who practically rampaged Neji's mansion. Consequently she quickly turned to watch her boyfriend's reaction. Neji morphed his mouth into a thin line but otherwise did nothing to suggest he was going to make a scene because of it. Tenten sighed in relief at that.

Hinata however was as static as she could be when she saw Kiba. She hadn't known that the brunet had returned. This was definitely a bonus. Wait until she tells Shino! Today was turning into an even better day than what she had hoped.

But before anyone could say their greetings the flight's gate opened and out of it came Lee sauntering with his gold medal hung securely from the ribbon around his neck. Lee, in all his bowl-cut and green spandex shirt glory, spotted his crowd and pumped his right fist as tears of joy cascaded from his eyes.

"Yosh, what is this I see? All my friends have brought their spirits together to welcome me home. You are all too kind!"

Neji instantly shielded his eyes from the sparkles that he swore came from Lee's dramatic entrance and approached said person with the rest of the group. Yet the moment Lee's gaze landed on an unfamiliar face he blew off his usual crowd in order to learn the newcomer's name. After all by the looks of his physic he could prove to be a worthy training buddy.

"And who might this impressive lad be. The flames of youth shine strong on you my friend. Please allow me the honor of knowing your name! I am Rock Lee and it would be my pleasure that you accept a challenge to compete against me." He finished such statement by doing his usual nice guy pose. Thumbs up, wink and everything.

Both Neji and Tenten groaned and muttered something about Lee being a muscle-head. Kiba on the other hand was left a little mesmerized/terrified and therefore mute by the display so Naruto took it upon himself to answer for him.

"This is Kiba, my roommate" said Naruto grinning as he made the introductions. "He has been living with me for almost the entire summer now. A lot has happened since you been away actually."

"Really? If what you say is true then I must now know how this came to be! Does Sakura know?" and that's when he gasped because he noticed that the pinkette was missing. Alarmed, Lee took Naruto's hand in his and bombarded him with questions. "Where is Sakura? Has some ill befallen my fair lady?"

"Relax Bushy-Brows" replied Naruto forcefully pulling his hand away. "Sakura is fine, she's just at work and you'll see her tonight." He explained without going too deep into it. After all he didn't want to be the one who break the news that she was already seeing someone else. "And as for Kiba well…"

Naruto scratched the underside of his chin as he tried to figure a way to explain their story in the simplest and subtlest way possible. Yet Kiba didn't notice this so he eagerly wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders and finished the blonde's sentence for him. "I'm his boyfriend!"

In the background Hinata, Neji and Tenten's jaws dropped while Naruto visibly flinched because this was certainly not how he planned to come out to his friends. Lee on the other hand looked at Naruto for confirmation. Seeing as the damage was already done, Naruto had no choice but to nervously nod to what Kiba had said.

Both Naruto and Kiba could swear that they saw a red sunset magically appearing behind Lee. "Yosh, what amazing news! I can already tell that your flames burn with so much passion! You must-"

As Lee kept showering them with metaphors only he could understand while insisting that they become his training partners for his next sports event, Hinata took the news in a whole different way.

Feeling suddenly dizzy she lifted a hand to her forehead. After wobbling in her spot some more she promptly fainted. Fortunately for her, Neji was behind her and caught her before she could hit the floor.

Likewise, Neji was also left perplexed by this unexpected confession yet he wanted to be there to witness the consequences said interesting admission would bring. But he had to be discreet about it since a Hyuuga never dingle dawdles. After careful consideration Neji knew there was only one course of action to take.

"Tenten do you have Haruno's phone number. It is of upmost importance that I contact her." He commanded with a sense of urgency.

The girl in question pulled out her phone and handed it to Neji but couldn't help giving him a weird look. "You're going to get Sakura to treat Hinata? Don't you think that's going a little overboard? She's still only an intern you know."

"As if, don't be ridiculous, why would I do that?" Neji questioned as if offended that Tenten misinterpreted his reasons. "Hinata will come off of it like she always does. All I want is her new address."

Oh yeah, there was no way he was going to miss this party now.

-_-_-_(Chief Commander's Office)-_-_-_-

The Police Department is responsible for coordinating public safety efforts in the city. Through investigations, patrols, detective work, and other efforts, the police deter and prevent crime within. The mission of Konoha's Police Department, famously recognizable by the Uchiha insignia, is to provide the highest quality of police service to its citizens and its visitors.

Ensuring public peace by detecting and arresting criminal offenders; protecting life, property and the rights of all individuals; regulating and controlling traffic; maintaining police records and communications; providing animal services; those were all the values Itachi Uchiha stood for. Precisely because of that he could no longer turn a blind eye to the actions of his younger brother, and so the reason why he had set up an impromptu meeting with said sibling.

Itachi looked up from his desk as Sasuke with perfect punctuality walked in and sat down in the chair in front of his brother's desk without saying so much as a hello. From Sasuke's face anyone could tell that he thought he had better things to do than being here.

'_Good'_ thought Itachi as he let out a small smirk. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that and not so politely told the older Uchiha to say whatever he wanted to say already so they could go back to doing what they do best. And by that he meant for him, Sasuke, to continue doing whatever he wanted and for Itachi to continue overlooking it.

Amused, Itachi with a simple hand gesture nonverbally asked Sasuke to come closer. The younger Uchiha rolled his eyes but leaned forward nonetheless only to be flicked on the forehead by Itachi. Sasuke reeled back and glared daggers at his brother but they had no effect whatsoever.

"Foolish little brother, don't delude yourself with ideas of having other places to go because as of today you no longer do. Right now there is nothing better for you to do than to listen to what I have to say."

"Oh yeah, and what makes you so sure of that?" Sasuke challenged.

"Because as we speak my forces are moving in to arrest every single member of your so called gang and everyone else you ever associated with." As Itachi said this he spread on his desk multiple folders holding the criminal record of each of Sasuke's goons. The message was clear, Itachi meant serious business.

"Pfff, you're bluffling" remarked Sasuke smugly as he leaned back on his chair. "You and I both know that my gang are top notch professionals and there is no way they are going to be taken down by any ordinary police officer."

"I know" said Itachi slightly enjoying how he was about to crush Sasuke's triumphant gleam. "That's why I deployed the Akatsuki for this task."

At that Sasuke turned his face away not wanting to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing him sneer. "Hn" was his only reply. The Akatsuki were a special force outside of the Police Department in which Itachi was also a part of. They were notoriously known for their ruthless methods and their zero-fail guarantee on their toughest missions. They were certainly a group not to be messed with.

Itachi also looked away even though he knew he had the upper hand since now came the part that hurt him the most. Up until now he had been fine with letting his little brother run amok doing what he wished. For some reason Itachi always believed that Sasuke would grow up and see the error of his ways. But by the recent complaint letter he got from a certain Inuzuka veterinarian and the 5 inch knife he confiscated from the hospital, it was clear that was not the case.

Now Itachi was left with no other choice than to send his little brother away. It was the last thing he was ever going to allow himself to do for his sibling.

With a deep sigh Itachi faced Sasuke again and said that he had less than 24 hours to leave the country and never come back. Otherwise Itachi will have no choice than to detain Sasuke and submit him to be trialed for his felonies under the due process of law. By tomorrow morning Sasuke would be declared a national criminal by every media in the entire fire country and all its allied nations. He would have no place to hide. Itachi was giving him a head start to escape but that was it, nothing more.

Sasuke said nothing for a real long time. He just stared at Itachi's desk with an aggravated scowl, probably organizing his thoughts and his next course of action, or so Itachi inferred.

Then just as apathetically as he had sat down Sasuke stood up, but did so while snatching away one of the folders. Itachi could tell it apart as Karin's criminal record. Sasuke probably needed her resources to facilitate his escape into another county. Plus she was an adept linguistic so it would probably benefit him to have her tagging along until he settled somewhere else.

Other than drug possession and other misdemeanors Karin didn't really have anything that amounted to considerable jail time so Itachi let it slide just this once. After all by tomorrow Itachi wouldn't be able to help out Sasuke any longer even if he had wanted to.

When Sasuke got to the door he turned his face to give his brother some parting words, or more accurately, a warning. "This doesn't change anything, Itachi. Nothing is over yet. I hate you, I curse you, and I will be back… with a vengeance."

-_-_-_(Inside Wedding Chapel)-_-_-_-

Juugo Tenpin was never one to have many friends, or more specifically it's always been hard to make any friends that would stay with him in the long run. It was mostly because no one could put up with him. _'And who could blame them?'_ he always thought. No one in their right mind would willingly want to be around someone who could go mental at any given time.

That was probably the main reason he was standing at the front of the altar with Kiba as his best man. Don't get him wrong, Juugo was happy to have his soon-to-be brother in law share this very important moment with him. But sometimes he couldn't keep himself from wondering.

In a room filled mostly with Hana's side of the family, some of Juugo's coworkers, Naruto and a few of Kiba's other friends; Juugo couldn't pinpoint the one person he undoubtedly wanted to be here. That's when he again realized he didn't have one. Today kinda felt like he crossed the finish line of some big race but had no one there to congratulate him for it. A weird sort of emptiness.

But then, looking at the fearless beauty beside him, Juugo couldn't help his smile. Hana was the first person ever to deal with him without putting some kind of invisible barrier between them to keep a distance. That's probably the reason he fell fast for her. And throughout his episodes she had always been there to work them out with him. She treated him like a human. It was no wonder he proposed to her within a year of having met her.

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. It definitely should be! Yet why did he feel so unfulfilled? At first he mistook it as a simple case of cold-feet but he had been feeling this depression for so long that it couldn't be it. And that's when he figured it out; he was depressed, simple as that. Not even his pills seemed to have the same effect they usually did.

He was bound to get moody on his wedding day so maybe he should have taken an extra dosage of his medication after all. Whatever it was that was affecting him Hana seemed to sense it too and inconspicuously as possible encircled their arms together to ask Juugo if anything was wrong. Even though she didn't quite believe him when he said he was fine, Hana let it slide because she didn't want to let her worrying ruin her fairytale wedding.

Unfortunately right after their vows and "I do's" Juugo was hit by a splitting headache. He was able to disguise it enough so that everyone save Hana wouldn't notice it. Putting up a smiling front for her guests, the new bride quietly suggested to her husband that they veto the rest of their wedding proceedings so that they could safely get to their rented limousine as quickly as possible.

Yet as they made it to the exit of the chapel they couldn't really get away because they got surrounded as everyone wanted to take the mandatory wedding pictures.

Juugo gritted his teeth as he progressively got angrier and angrier at the people blocking his escape route. It was then that he noticed that his control was slipping. What scared him the most was that even though he was conscious of it he couldn't do anything to stop his impulses. So gripping to his last remnants of coherent-ness he pushed away from his wife before any damage could be dealt.

-_-_-_(Minutes Earlier)-_-_-_-

Kimimaro Kaguya was stationed outside the wedding chapel, leaning his back against a 4-wheeled vehicle large enough to fit 10 people. In other words he was just another simple employee working for a limousine business. An honest job without the recurring risk of suffering from cardiac arrest because of stress.

Lucky was a word Kimimaro didn't use often but nothing else described his situation best. At first when Itachi came to his doorstep and offered him immunity from the law in exchange for the addresses of everyone working under Sasuke, Kimimaro didn't know how to respond. However now, a month after everything was said and done, he knew he made the right choice by cooperating.

Kimimaro wasn't exactly what you'd call an example citizen but Itachi seeing the bigger picture was willing to overlook that in order to catch the more dangerous ones. That's not to say that Kimimaro wasn't equally as dangerous, or even more, but since for the most part all he did was drive people around, Itachi gave only him the chance to redeem all past indiscretions by helping enforce the law on others.

Presently Kimimaro was doing his best to stay clean and out of trouble. He understood that not many got second chances like he did and he certainly wasn't going to waste it. And besides, working for Sasuke wasn't good for his heart anyways so he was grateful for the change of pace.

Yep, nothing stressful about this or so he thought until he heard screaming coming from the crowd at the chapel's top entrance. That's where his charges were supposed to be!

Automatically he climbed the stone steps until he reached the source of the commotion. There, centerfold, was Juugo menacing to tear everyone apart if they didn't get out of his way.

"_**Move it or I'll kill you! I'll start with a woman, no, a man. Yeah that's it; I'll definitely kill a man first!"**_

Contemplating the situation Kimimaro thought it better to get in there and control the situation before things escalated. He wasn't Sasuke's guard for nothing after all. But when Juugo saw him coming he got ten times as mad.

"_**You, what are you looking at? I said get out of my way or I'll kill you!"**_

Without further warning Juugo swung his fist at Kimimaro but the later dodged it and taking advantage of his smaller height he swiftly got behind Juugo and caught him in a power lock. Juugo went berserk as he struggled around but Kimimaro held on strong and didn't let Juugo shake him off.

"Calm down" said Kimimaro sounding surprisingly calm for the situation he was in.

"_**I'm not normal, why aren't you scared of me?"**_

"Probably because I'm not that weak. Now calm yourself down."

Amazingly enough for all who witnessed it, Juugo did as he was told. The new groom felt his legs go limp and he fell down sitting on the floor. Seeing the faces of everyone around him Juugo couldn't help feeling ashamed of himself for ruining the wedding. But before he could get up to do anything, a teary Hana crouched down in front of him flung her arms around his neck."

"Baby are you alright? Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling right?"

Juugo hugged her back as he apologized for ruining her day but Hana assured him that that didn't matter and what was important was that nobody got hurt. As they continued to hold each other Suigetsu couldn't help himself from adding his unwanted two cents in.

"If it wasn't so totally inappropriate I would tell you just how cool I thought this whole trip was!"

Thankfully he was silenced by a punch to the gut courtesy of Sakura before he could continue. Naruto threw in a "Serves you right" commentary in there and also found himself in the receiving end of Sakura's fist because, um, well for being Naruto.

Feeling the prying eyes on them, Hana pulled away from Juugo and started barking orders. "Alright everyone, the wedding is over, nothing to see here, we appreciate that you came but you can leave now. Naruto and friends help clear the place. Kiba, go fetch me Juugo's pills while I'll call his doctor and give him a piece of my mind. Everyone else, scatter!"

Everyone immediately fled the scene because no one wanted to make the new bride mad. That's when Juugo noticed that the guy who stopped him was still there and was currently moving away. Juugo anxiously reached an arm to his direction and called out to him.

"Wait, eh, what's your name?" he asked.

Kimimaro turned to him and gave a simple bow with his head. "The name is Kimimaro Kaguya, and from the looks of it I'll be your driver." And with that he left to stand next to the limousine as he waited for the new married couple to compose themselves.

Shutting off her phone after leaving a well-worded message on the doctor's voicemail, Hana turned to Juugo to make sure he was feeling fine. Yet Juugo was busy processing in his head that Kimimaro not only showed no fear toward him but also was able to calm him without the use of any medication.

Juugo looked at Kimimaro's way and nodded to his wife. "You know, somehow I think I am."

-_-_-_(Apartment)-_-_-_-

Like every other morning Naruto and Kiba were peacefully enjoying their breakfast on their new table. Both had a busy work day as Kiba was helping Tazuna build his bridge while Naruto was made Prof. Kakashi Hatake's new teacher assistant, a.k.a. his new porn-stasher/errand-boy.

Kakashi needed new places to hide his adult material from girlfriend Anko Mitarashi and in Naruto he saw infinite possibilities. Not exactly a privilege but hey at least Naruto got paid for it.

Then, just as they were finishing with their meals, someone knocked on the front door.

"Mind getting that?" asked Naruto between bites as he reached for the newspaper. "It's probably Sakura for our haircuts checking if we're _**decent**_." he ended in a joking manner. Kiba caught it and gave a knowing grin at the joke before taking one last sip from his cup and going to answer the door.

Ever since Sakura walked in on them when they were having sex she had learned to knock before coming in. The memory of Kiba ramming his cock into Naruto's ass will forever be engraved in her brain. It was a running joke between the three and they were never going to let her live it down.

Putting his dish aside Naruto eyed the headlines in the cover before turning the page to read the rest. But then something clicked in his head and Naruto turned back to read the front page. His jaw slackened.

"Well I be!" he exclaimed as he re-read the top news. It was about a new oil company being built in the Wind Country and there was even a big-ass picture with the three owners included. What was amazing about it was that standing in the middle was Gaara! How could Gaara make this huge billionaire discovery just out the gate when Naruto was still stuck in college? It was not fair!

The whiskered male could guess that the two standing beside the redhead were his brother and sister. But then when Naruto's eyes returned to Gaara's face and saw his content expression, Naruto forgot all ill will and smiled. Something about that picture told Naruto that Gaara achieved his goal and was able to successfully reconnect with his siblings. _'You made it my friend.'_

"Ah, Naruto?" came Kiba's unsure voice interrupting him from his thoughts. "Can you come here and, _what is it again_, sign?"

The blond stood up, headed to the entrance and saw a postman (Idate Morino for does who care) standing with a pen and a clipboard while Kiba had a midsize delivery package currently under his arm.

"Oh, right" said Naruto as he grabbed the pen and gave his signature. "You know, considering how quick you usually pick up on things, maybe it's time we get someone to teach you to read and write. Wouldn't you like that?" he asked but then saw that Kiba had already gone back to the kitchen with the package in tow. "Hmm, maybe later."

After handing the pen back to the postman, the guy then gave Naruto a letter that allegedly came with the delivery. "Eh, thanks" said Naruto as he closed the door and opened the aforementioned letter which read:

_-Dear Naruto, we hope you don't mind the extra company but we couldn't exactly take it with us on our honeymoon. Don't worry, Kiba already knows how to take care of it. Much love, Hana and Juugo.-_

"It? What are they talking about?"

And that's when he heard it, barking coming from the kitchen. He instantly rushed to the room and saw a laughing Kiba holding up a mostly white puppy.

"Yahoo! Look who came to visit us Naruto. It's Akamaru!" the brunet exclaimed excitedly before giving it to Naruto for him to hold. "This is my boyfriend Naruto, Say hi Akamaru!"

The dog barked hello and wagged its tail as Naruto awkwardly held him up. And just when the blond was opening his mouth to say something, Akamaru peed on his shirt.

"…Great." answered Naruto sounding completely unthrilled.

-_-_-_( Two Year Skip)-_-_-_-

Once the New Oil Company started its operations the Suna strutted its way to becoming one of the riches nations in the Wind Country. Coincidentally it also meant that its tourists' economy boomed from almost nonexistent to half decent. Hey, Suna was still a desert so it was understandable that there was still some resistance to travel it. But at least it gained some improvement.

Yet it was among Suna's own citizens were the most progress was made as little by little they started opening their minds to Gaara now that they stopped seeing him as a cold-hearted murderer. Amazing how everybody changes their perspective of someone once that person makes the top ten world's wealthiest bachelors list. Simply astonishing.

But the fact that people liked Gaara more than they used to didn't at all mean that they weren't still at some level scared of him. Even today a clear example of this was being shown.

Presently the Sabaku siblings where in the middle of giving a joint tour around the company to a bunch of college level journalist students and now they had reach the point where they were supposed to separate into three groups. The reason being that the company had three main facilities, each being under one of the siblings, so to save time it was better if they split the load within the three.

This was the part that Gaara dreaded the most because it was almost becoming common practice that no one voluntarily chose to follow him. They always went with either Temari or Kankuro leaving Gaara to cut the tour short in order to lock himself back in his office. The sad part being that the redhead was always the most prepared out of the three to give the tour.

"Pst, Gaara, why don't you try to smile more. No one is going to pick you if you keep making that sour face." whispered Temari to his brother as Kankuro was busy stating the rules.

But her advice fell to deaf ears as Gaara pretended not to hear her. What Temari didn't know was that Gaara had once tried that but it only served to drive more people away. Something about a smile looking unnatural on him and almost psychotic. Certainly not one of Gaara's fondest memories.

And just as expected when the time came everyone moved under either Kankuro or Temari. The redhead closed his eyes as he repressed yet another disappointment and turned to leave only to unpredictably bump into someone.

Gaara opened his eyes and saw a girl with shoulder length brunette hair brushing his shoulders and apologizing to him. What was even more confusing was that she was even blushing for it. That was definitely the oddest reaction Gaara has ever gotten, the odd thing being that it was directed at him.

"What's your name?" Gaara asked to stop her from spouting out her repeated apologies.

The girl stepped back as if surprised to have him speaking to her but then stood firm and looked him directly in the eyes as she answered. "Ma-Matsuri, I mean my name is Matsuri!"

Too bad the nervousness in her voice betrayed her. Matsuri was inwardly kicking herself for that one. She almost shouted her name there but thankfully she managed to cover her mouth before she spouted something embarrassing along the lines of being his secret admirer and having the walls of her room filled with printed pictures of him like only some crazed teenage girls would. Now _**that**_ would have been awkward.

Gaara looked around and saw the other groups were already set before turning back to the girl in front of him. Shock was written on his was even though no one could read it. Was Matsuri honestly choosing to go with him? Gaara didn't know but he was not about to waste an opportunity to give his well-rehearsed tour.

So offering an arm out for her to take, Gaara looked straight ahead and calmly said. "Shall we?"

Matsuri practically squealed as she took his arm and then turned her head to stick her tongue out at someone in Kankuro's group. "Take that Sari, I told you he wouldn't bite!"

"Not fair Matsuri! I liked him first!" the other girl shouted back as she hastily made her way to grab Gaara's other arm and looked at him with sparkles in her eyes. "Please Gaara give me the tour too, pretty please!"

As the girls continued to pull on his arms as they continued to fight for him, Gaara looked at his siblings for help but they were too busy trying to hold in their laughter. To them Gaara looked so out of place it was hilarious. _'Deserters'_ Gaara thought as the girls continued to haul him towards his facility.

Yep, things were definitely changing alright. Who would have thought that Gaara would one day have to face the growing specie publicly known as (dramatic pause)… _**fangirls!**_

-_-_-_(Television Recording Studio)-_-_-_-

_-Welcome everyone to your favorite morning talk show "Husky & Slim" with your hosts Chouji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka-_

"Hoho" laughed Chouji from his side of the couch. "Good morning everybody and thanks for welcoming us into your homes. I'm your host Chouji '_**Husky**_' Akimichi and boy do we have a great show prepared for you, right _**Slim**_?"

"Sure do Husky" replied Ino from her side of the couch before looking at the camera. "Today we have special appearances from reality TV star couple Asuma and Kurenai; and a surprise music performance by guest singer Yugao Uzuki and the Anbu Black Ops!"

The crowd cheered.

Chouji nodded and held his hand up to silence the audience before continuing. "But first join us as we celebrate our 2 years anniversary since this show started! Wow two years" he said turning to Ino. "Can you believe it's been that long since this pilot aired on TV?"

"Amazing how time flies huh Husky? And we owe it all to our wonderful audience who have kept our ratings locked at number one for the 7th month straight!" rooted Ino as she faced the crowd and hollered "So give yourselves a round of applause!"

She clapped her hands and everyone in the room stood up and joined in on the applause.

"Whoa Slim, you sure know how to work the crowd!" commented Chouji while also clapping his hands a few times.

"Years of experience Husky, years of experience." she said before moving on with the scripted program. "But tell me because I just need to ask. Rumor has it that you're writing a new cookbook! How much of it is true?"

"Hoho Slim, I'm not only writing it, I finished it!" answered Chouji as he pulled out a copy of it to show it to the audience. "It's called 'Recipes for Your Barbeque' and it'll be out nationwide next week!"

"Mmm sounds delicious" said Ino as she rubbed her stomach, "Reserve a copy of that please!"

"Will do!" said Chouji as he set his book down on the table in an angle where the camera will be able to zoom in on it at random times. "But what about you Slim?" asked Chouji as he read from the teleprompter, "I'm sure you also have new projects you would like to share."

"As a matter of fact there is" replied Ino quickly agreeing. "Hey everyone, I finally got my first movie deal and starting next month I'll be launching my new perfume line! So I'm going to be busy busy!"

"Wow such an entrepreneur and you are not even 22 yet! I've been on show business since I could barely walk and it still amazes me how your career catapulted from relatively unknown to an overnight sensation. And to think it all started when you showed tremendous poise and bravery under pressure at a police siege. Shikamaru even calls you his finest discovery. Wouldn't you agree folks?" he asked the crowd and the room cheered.

Ino brought a hand to her face a pretended to blush. "Oh Husky, you sure know how to compliment a lady." That caused for Chouji to laugh in good humor and for the audience to coo and whistle. "But let's not forget my shot to stardom only happened at the cost of someone getting shot, literally." she reminded.

"Yeah tell us about that, how is Kin Tsuchi fairing as we speak?" asked Chouji and the room quieted down in order to hear what Ino had to say.

"Well I'm pleased to say that after the incident she made a quick recovery and is currently still doing on-field reports for Konoha's local news. I even send her a gift basket every Christmas to her thank for, as they say, letting me steal her thunder!" she joked and everybody laughed.

"A sense of humor, beauty, smarts, talent and a heart of gold. How does she do it!" asked Chouji to the audience.

Ino simply laughed and waved at the audience. Yeah, she was a natural and she had everyone at the palm of her hand. _'But my success did come with a prize and believe me I'm still paying for it. Right Whiskers?'_

-_-_-_(Study Hall)-_-_-_-

Shino Abarume had always been best described as a man of little words and everyone could easily perceive a silent confidence about him. He was not one to blurt unintelligent things out of his mouth and certainly not what anyone could call the life of the party. He handled himself in a conservative way and always remained professional on whatever he did.

For all his defining characteristics it was understandable that one would make the incorrect assumption that he enjoyed the quiet. Mostly everyone thought that and let me be the first to tell you that mostly everyone were **w**rong with a capital W.

If anything Shino was fond of sounds and noises. Heck he even found that he concentrated better when there was some kind of ruckus around him. That was why he almost never surrounded himself with people that shared his same personality because then no one would speak unless absolutely necessary and it would end up driving Shino crazy.

Keeping that piece of trivia in mind, can you guess just how painful it was for him to sit in a room studying for grad school with Hinata doing nothing but mope in a corner for the last 3 hours? It was hell and it unnerved him!

Sure, some might argue that Hinata was a timid person to begin with, but there was a fine line between shyness and muteness and Hinata had crossed it without a return ticket in sight. It frustrated Shino not only because it kept him from fully concentrating on his studies, but because he found that the reason for it didn't merit it.

Alright so Hinata forever lost her chance with Naruto the moment she found out he preferred dicks over pussy. And to add salt to the injury she also found out that it was Kiba's dick no less. Yes it was kind of a shocker since even Shino didn't saw it coming. But come on that happened more than two years ago! It was high time she built a bridge and got over it. Everyone else already did so why couldn't her?

There were plenty of other fishes in the sea but she won't ever come around to catch any of them if she stayed drifting around in a sea of might-have-been. Hinata had done a hell of a job so far pretending to be okay and supportive around everyone else but when it was just her and Shino she reverted back to her current sulky self. She might as well be wallpaper for all the company she was.

Shino was not trying to be cruel yet at the same time he was never one to sugarcoat things. But one truth was for certain, he need to do something quick to get her out of her funk and he needed to do it now. No time like the present they say.

Marking the page he was on and closing the book temporarily, Shino sighed knowing precisely what he had to do. He just hoped it wouldn't bring any ill consequences. Yet even if it did, he decided that nothing could be worse than having a zombie for a friend.

He stood up and moved to stand in front of Hinata. Shino quietly waited there until Hinata noticed his presence before establishing conversation.

"You been idle again" he firmly stated his observation. Hinata looked away in embarrassment and was about to apologize for being bad company but before she could Shino cut her off by making another of his analysis known. "It's about Naruto again isn't it?"

Well no one could accuse Shino of being subtle with his straight to the point approaches, that's for sure. Hinata's eyes turned downcast at the mention of the blonde's name even though the trademark blush on her cheeks never failed to make an appearance.

"I c-can't help it. I still feel strongly about him" came Hinata's predictable response. That was all the convincing Shino needed to apply his remedy. He crouched down to be eye level with her and took off his sunglasses, an odd move that caught Hinata's attention.

"Listen Hinata, I'm about to do something that may stun you but believe me, it's with your best interests in mind." And with that he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips making her eyes widen in shock. Shino then pulled away and put his shades back on. "Now I'm going to put some classical music on while you stay here and let what happened simmer down a bit. I'll expect your response at the end of the day."

Hinata was too stunned to say anything so she just nodded, Naruto being the furthest thing from her mind right now. Shino on the meantime opened up iTunes on his laptop and returned to his book like nothing had happened with a swagger that was so undeniably his. Oh yeah, he still got it on!

-_-_-_(Tenpin-Inuzuka Household)-_-_-_-

Life had been going great for Juugo these past two years. After the disaster that was the wedding Juugo started requesting for Kimimaro every time he needed a driver. Needless to say he had made quite a strong impression on Juugo. Hana took fast notice of this and did everything in her power to find excuses to invite Kimimaro over.

To say that she was fervently pushing for a friendship to happen was an understatement. And she didn't let Juugo get shy about it either. The woman practically made it her mission to get her husband a buddy no matter the cost. She even went as far as to set them up on a mandate providing Juugo with flashcards of things to say and everything!

And when that awkward experience didn't work she tried offering Kimimaro a position as their personal chauffer with residence included. So what if she was being meddlesome? Her man deserved nothing but the best and she was just the woman to get it for him. Kimimaro respectfully declined said offer but nonetheless the seeds were already sown.

It didn't take all that long afterwards for Juugo and Kimimaro to hit it off and go from acquaintances to friends and now even best friends. Ever since then Juugo suffered from less bipolar episodes and had led a fairly decent life. He no longer felt like he had a reason to be depressed; and little did he know that his world was about to get a little brighter.

When Juugo got home after his racquetball match with Kimimaro he sensed that something was off. For one thing his wife's house-keys were at home even though she was supposed to be at a Vet convention. Secondly she wouldn't miss it for anything in the world when she had been so hyped up for it this past week. And lastly he could smell pot-roast in the air. His wife hated pot-roast!

'_Something must have happened!'_ he thought, warning bells ringing. Absentmindedly he dropped everything at the door as he rushed to every room in the house while calling out her name.

He found her in the patio by herself and strangely enough she was indeed eating pot-roast. Juugo felt a little out of the loop as he took tentative steps toward Hana. She felt him coming and turned to wave him over.

Juugo kissed her on the cheek and took a sit next to her as he joined his wife in watching the scenery.

"You are home early" he commented after some time had passed.

The gentle breeze blew and Hana took her hair out of her usual low ponytail and closed her eyes so she could appreciate it better. "I know. Didn't feel like staying away from home today, that's all."

Juugo didn't know why but his wife seemed to have a certain glow about her that she didn't have previously. Then he glanced at her plate and couldn't help to voice the question in his mind. "You're eating pot-roast too."

"Weird huh? I usually hate the stuff but today I had an inexplicable craving for it and I just had to have some. There's more in the oven it you want any."

Her husband nodded and stared back at the scenery, "So I take it the convention wasn't that good huh?"

"Actually, I didn't go to it" she coyly admitted and when Juugo gave her a puzzled look she adverted eye contact and continued with her explanation. "I went to see the doctor instead."

"Why? Is there something wrong?" he said instantly feeling up her forehead, "Or is it about me?" he asked removing his hand with a sullen expression.

"No silly, it isn't anything like that!" she exclaimed while giving him a playful shove. "Well actually it has to do with you but it also has to do with me, with us both." she said as she stood up and took Juugo's hands to make him stand up too. Hana took a big breath before hitting her husband with it. "I'm pregnant!" she announced excitedly.

It took a few seconds for the news to sink in but when it did Juugo broke out into a happy dance by lifting wife by the waist and spinning around before placing her down to hug her. Hana hugged him back just as hard excited that her husband was as thrilled as she was.

"I'm a dad, a dad, I'm going to be a dad!"

Yep, even though they had a rocky start their marriage was leading up to one of the happiest endings ever had.

-_-_-_(The Closet)-_-_-_-

Sakura and Suigetsu were in a good stable relationship. I was kinda amazing that after two years they were still living together when neither of them really thought that what they had would last. Suigetsu was first in it for the trill while Sakura just wanted a change of pace. They were currently each other's longest lasting relationship and to be truthful it was kinda scary.

But even so they were both satisfied with what they had and neither of them wanted to change that. Why fix what wasn't broken, right? Yep, that was what Sakura though up until the day she found a jewelry box with an engagement ring on it in Suigetsu's closet.

'_What could this mean? Is he holding it for someone? One of his friends maybe?'_ were Sakura's first thoughts. Suigetsu wasn't the serious type and he was definitely the furthest thing from the settling down type. There was simply no way that the ring could be his. But when she saw the receipt and saw that it was paid with his credit card Sakura's world just froze.

In the days that followed Sakura couldn't focus on anything else but the ring. She couldn't tell you the amount of times she paced her bedroom just thinking about it. The worst part was that she was even getting nervous around Suigetsu and would find the silliest excuses to get out of the house so she wouldn't have to spend too much time around him. She didn't know how she would react if she let Suigetsu have an opportunity to propose to her.

Her plan worked fine until Shizune had to open her mouth and expressed her worry about Sakura spending too much time in the hospital after work hours, all leading up to Tsunade imposing on Sakura a mandatory week off.

The pinkette was fuming but she guessed it was for the best. She couldn't keep running from her troubles. In the end she convinced herself that she wasn't prepared to for a serious relationship and decided that whenever Suigetsu popped the question she would politely reject him.

At least that was the plan, if only Suigetsu would had proposed that is. But as weeks passed without any movement from his part Sakura became more and more anxious and even started to get frustrated. I mean what was the hold up?

Sakura had provided him many openings and was even doing her best to set a romantic mood in most places they went when it was only just them two. And it couldn't be that he forgot because Sakura had been keeping taps on the number of times Suigetsu had gone to the closet exclusively to check on the box. It even had a new blue ribbon around it so she was positive that he was still thinking about it.

'_Hmm, unless he… nah that couldn't be it'_ Sakura tossed and turned on their bed as she thought things over for the umpteenth time that night while Suigetsu slept like a log with his head buried in the pillows. _'But wait maybe it could'_ thought the pinkette as she turned to stare at the mop of light blue that was Suigetsu's hair. _'He couldn't have changed his mind about me could he?'_

Needless to say that Sakura spent the rest of the night thinking about all the possible reasons for why Suigetsu wouldn't want to marry her anymore. She resolved that there was nothing of significance for him to change his mind. _'I'm the best woman he'll ever meet damn it! Only a fool would pass me up! Cha!'_

It was then that she realized that Suigetsu was her perfect match too. They complemented each other so well that it was no wonder they stayed together for as long as they had. That was also the moment she realized that she did want to get hitch to him. In fact she wanted him to propose now!

Sakura was this close from taking her pillow and hitting Suigetsu with it until he woke up so that she could demand that he propose to her already but thought better of it and instead buried her head in her pillow as well and ended up screaming into it.

That engagement ring was slowly killing her sanity she knew it! But it was dead wrong if it thought that Sakura was going to give in. She would wait it out like the strong woman she knew she was and let things flow on their own until Suigetsu was finally ready to pop the big question on his own accord. She wouldn't force it out of him, no sire… _'Alright screw patience!'_

Sakura turned on the night lamp, grabbed Suigetsu's pillow from under him and started bashing him with a purpose. To. Wake. Him. Up!

"Aaah, attack of the beach babes!" Suigetsu shouted as he protected his head with his arms.

"Wake up moron!" commanded Sakura as she kept pillow raging him until she was able to make him sit up. "When are you going to ask me to marry you, you big sloth!"

"Huh?" Suigetsu asked unintelligently as he robbed the sleep out of his eyes while wondering if the sun was even up at this hour.

Sakura threw Suigetsu's pillow back at him and scratched her nails on her scalp in annoyance. "Don't play dumb I already saw the ring so are you gonna propose to me or not, which is it!"

"Oh that, I knew I should had hiding it better" muttered Suigetsu looking anywhere but at Sakura while he rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. Talk about getting exposed. "I uh, do you want to get mar-"

"With the ring you idiot!" demanded Sakura as she kicked him out of the bed. "Go get it and do it properly this time."

Suigetsu ran off in a hurry not wanting to get his girlfriend anymore menstrual than she apparently was while Sakura was left huffing until she calmed down. Her eyes widen when she realized how she had completely lost it a minute ago but before she could berate herself for that she suddenly realized what was about to happen.

'_He is going to propose!' _

Without wasting time she quickly stood up and dashed to the mirror so she could fix her hair as much as possible before rushing to wait anxiously at the edge of their bed for her boyfriend's arrival. She couldn't believe that she was actually getting this nervous for something she already knew was going to come but she just couldn't stop running her fingers through her hair.

Suigetsu then walked in and stalled on the door to build up the tension. He wore nothing more than some pajama pants and necktie over his shirtless body as he tried to look as debonair as possible at 3:00am in the morning. An image only ruined by the juvenile grin plastered on his face.

He strode to Sakura and slowly descended on one knee before her as he took out the ring. "Sakura, ever since I met you I knew you were a pink mental case but you were my pink mental case and I wouldn't have it any other way. Will you make me the happiest man on the earth and possibly shorten my lifespan by marrying me?"

Who said Suigetsu wasn't suave with words?

"I don't know what to say" said Sakura genuinely caught in the moment that she let Suigetsu's _**charming**_ speech slide. "I do, of course I do!" and so Suigetsu slid the ring on her finger.

Sakura passionately kissed her boyfriend and raised her hand to stare at her ring. She definitely had to call Ino in the morning to tell her all about it. After a minute of silence and nothing else happening, the thrill went down and Suigetsu finally decided to ask "So what are we suppose to do now?"

The pinkette thought it over and found that she honestly didn't know. "Sleep, I guess"

"What, no celebration sex?" Suigetsu asked jokingly but she ignored him in favor of lying down on her side of their bed. Suigetsu followed her example and Sakura tried to get her much needed shuteye but she couldn't because she felt eyes boring at her. Turning her head she gave her boyfriend a flat stare. "What?"

"Oh nothing much" answered Suigetsu. He was lying on his side with his face propped up with his elbow and was flashing her with his pearly whites in that broad grin of his. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my mojo." he said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sakura rolled her eyes and pushed his face away, "Go to sleep loser before I change my mind." she warned.

Suigetsu flopped down on his pillow and stared at the ceiling. Now he was the one not being able to fall to sleep because of how excited he was that his girlfriend said yes. He hadn't gotten the courage to ask her until now because somehow he thought that she would say no. Guess all that worrying was for nothing after all. This called for a song!

"Sakura and Suigetsu sitting on a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marri- Ouch!" He got pinched by Sakura. "G'night babe."

They certainly weren't your everyday typical fairytale couple. But for them it worked and frankly that's really the only thing that mattered. And to think if Ino hadn't taken Kiba to Neji's party without permission this pairing would have never happened. I guess what they say was true; life did worked in funny ways.

-_-_-_(At a Mansion Overseas)-_-_-_-

For all the things Karin was good for, figures that the one thing she sucked at was cleaning. Sasuke wasn't much of a clean-freak to begin with and normally would be able to sit his pristine ass down on any surface without much problem. But when he found himself in need of allergy medicine to combat the accumulated dust it became blatantly obvious that it was a problem that needed to be dealt with fast.

And in the fine piece of real estate his mansion was on there was no way that he was doing the cleaning. Sasuke had more pressing matters to attend to, like how to get Karin to agree to artificial insemination and how to get revenge on Itachi from all the way across the other side of the ocean.

To cut to the chase he needed a maid, yet considering how utterly useless Sasuke thought women were, he wanted a male one. In short a domestic worker, which led us to our present predicament.

As of now Sasuke was finishing interviewing what he thought to be a suitable candidate. He was a slender, slightly effeminate but very good looking blonde man with ruby red eyes, pale complexion and great credentials. So great in fact that Sasuke felt the need to question them.

"So it says here that you worked in seven different countries, under seven different masters and you're only 29 you say? Are there any reasons for you moving around so much that I should know about? What guarantees me that you won't pack up and leave when I still need you here?"

The guy being interviewed smiled at the question and joined his hands over his lap before answering, "Oh you won't have to worry about that. I assure you that the only reason I left was because neither of them required my services anymore."

-What the guy failed to mention was that the only reason his previous patrons had no more use for him was because they had all passed away before their time-

"Hn" Sasuke smirked in amusement as he continued to read the résumé, "Well it obviously wasn't because the pay was bad, that's for sure."

"Excuse me?" asked the unnamed guy not knowing what Sasuke meant with that.

"Your nose" answered Sasuke appearing already uninterested in the subject, "I can tell from this distance that you had work done particularly on that area." Sasuke could also tell that blonde wasn't the guy's natural hair color but said nothing about it since he could use it as ammo for another occasion.

The guy immediately covered his nose and laughed abashedly, "Oh so you noticed"

Sasuke regarded the guy in question arrogantly before returning his gaze to the papers in front of him. "As you work here the one thing you will learn is that nothing escapes my eyes."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind Sir."

-But what Sasuke's eyes couldn't tell him was that the guy had undergone plastic surgery for way more than a simple nose job. All so he could look way younger than what he really was and be able to effectively lie about his age like his was doing right now-

"Hmm" muttered Sasuke as he finished reviewing the guy's credentials. It all seemed to fit but he'll make sure to do a background check later. "I guess that would be all for now. When can you start?"

"I could start today if it isn't too imposing" said the guy sounding hopeful.

"Fine then, but let me warn you. You better do a plausible job cleaning up my house because the moment I find myself unimpressed I will not hesitate to fire you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal!" answered the guy standing up to shake Sasuke's hand. But when Sasuke decline to offer his, the new guy retracted his hand and politely excused himself from the room.

Once outside the room the guy leaned his back against the door and hissed. _'Tsk, condescending little brat; it took all my will power to not wring your neck for that nose comment. My surgeon is top notch you hear, top notch!'_ But first impressions aside, the guy grinned sinisterly at achieving another successful infiltration. Now came the fun part. _'Oh don't worry my prissy lord, I'll be sure to clean you out alright and there will be no fingerprints to show for it. Bwahahaha haha hahahahaa!'_

-Ironically, what law escapee Sasuke Uchiha failed to be aware off was that he had just invited under his roof one of the most wanted international criminals in the world. And to this day there has only been one known case to survive this scoundrel's vicious claws. A villain that could only be identified as _**The Kyuubi**_… Only time can tell which of the two would meet his demise but one thing was for certain, there would be blood to pay-

-_-_-_(Final Scene)-_-_-_-

"No Akamaru, don't chase after that lemming! Bad dog bad dog!" shouted Naruto as he continued to give chase after his dog.

He and Kiba where in the middle of their exploits when Kiba took a break to take a leak and all Naruto had to do was watch after Akamaru for five minutes or so. Except with him nothing could ever went smoothly and to prove it a collared lemming, otherwise known as the arctic rodent, out of nowhere jumped in and stole his compass. Naruto was going to let it slide since it wasn't working properly because of the strong magnetic pulse in the land but then Akamaru went chasing after it.

"Stop Akamaru!" yelled Naruto as he continued to pursue the beast DNA testing called a dog. Naruto wasn't so convinced though because there was no way a dog could grow as big as Akamaru did. It was like he ate a freaking horse! _'Damn it, this is precisely why I wanted to buy him a leach!'_

Then all of the sudden Naruto tripped and face-planted on the snow. Lifting his head while spouting a long string of curses he spotted his compass dropped on the ground at arm's reach from him. Smiling he went to grab it but then a snow owl swooped in and took it before flying away with it. Naruto was left with his mouth agape.

For some time Naruto had been suspecting it, but now he was certain of it. Animals hated him. There was no other explanation. I mean why else would all these things happen to him? God forbids that it was because they were actually jealous of his whiskers.

"Need a hand?" said a voice from beside Naruto. The blond didn't have to look to know that Kiba was smiling a toothy grin at his expense. Taking the brunet's offered hand Naruto lifted himself up and began swiping his clothes.

"That dog of yours ran off again." He complained while at it.

Kiba laughed at how easily the other placed the burden on him and then whistled to the wind. At the sound of it Akamaru came running toward them. "Good job Akamaru!" Kiba said while scratching Akamaru behind the ears as the dog licked his face. "Who's a good boy, you're a good boy" stated the tattooed male as he continued praising his dog.

Naruto briefly pouted at the way Akamaru only seemed to listen to Kiba. But then he folded his arms behind his head and dismissed the thought. As if he wanted dog drool on his face anyways. "Get a room" Naruto remarked before walking away.

"Oh come on don't be like that" said Kiba following after Naruto with the dog in tow, "Akamaru is just being playful that's all."

The blond shrugged it off and changed the subject, "So any idea where we are?"

Kiba pulled out a map out of his backpack and started reading it. "I think we are about ten miles to the east from where we are supposed to be at."

"Ten miles?" repeated Naruto astonished before turning to Akamaru and pointing an accusing finger at him. "This is entirely your fault. If you hadn't chased after that rodent then we would had still been on track!"

Akamaru whimpered but then jumped on Naruto, effectively bringing him down with him, and started licking the blonde's face as his way to apologize. The act wasn't exactly received as it should have though.

"Ack, you're slobbering me!" whined Naruto as he struggled to push the 80.5kg dog off of him. _'Some exploit this was turning out to be.'_

For those of you who don't know, apparently some anonymous person with a lot of cash had gotten interested in Naruto and was currently funding all of his expeditions. Someone who went by _**'The Boar'**_. Naruto always found it funny because he never understood why anyone would ever want to name themselves after a pig.

He wasn't complaining though because it was only thanks to this charitable person that Naruto could afford his traveling fees. The blond just wished he knew who it was so that he could thank him/her properly. Little did he know that he had already met _her_ on multiple occasions.

Kiba finally helped pull Akamaru off of Naruto. "Down boy, down" he commanded and the dog laid down with its head between his paws as he gave Naruto his big puppy eyes. "Aaah look he's sorry. Won't you forgive him?" asked Kiba teasing Naruto.

Naruto sat up against an ice wall and wiped his face with his coat before narrowing his eyes at the dog. Akamaru saw it as his cue to whimper some more which made Naruto roll his eyes at the clear manipulation the dog was trying to achieve. "Alright fine, I forgive you" he replied with a chuckle.

Akamaru wagged his tail and went to jump on Naruto again as to thank him. "No, wait!" Kiba called but it was too late. The moment Akamaru jumped on Naruto the ice wall behind him broke because of the added weight and both of them went sliding down a wide hole on the floor. "Naruto!" Kiba shouted.

*Thud, thud, arf, thud, thud, thud, Pang!*

"Oww…" Naruto grumbled as he finally hit a solid ground with Akamaru on top of him. The dog shook the snow out of his fur and walked away to do some exploring of his own. "Gee, thanks for your concern" Naruto whined to no one in particular.

Then he heard something else sliding down from where he came and immediately rolled away before Kiba could land on him.

"Naruto where are you?" came Kiba's concerned voce.

"Wait a sec" said Naruto removing his backpack so he could look for his flashlight. "Here it is" he said as he turned it on, "Can you see me now?" asked the blonde as he aimed the light all over the place. It looked like they were in some kind of ruins. "Wow, where are we?"

"Don't know. This definitely wasn't on the map" said Kiba as he sat behind Naruto and encircled his arms around the blonde's midriff. "But since we are already here with no one watching, how about a quickie before we look for an exit?" asked Kiba already nibbling on Naruto's ear.

"Are you crazy? We'll freeze to death" pointed out Naruto as he tried to pry Kiba's hand off of him. "And besides, Akamaru may be watching."

"It's not that cold down here and we don't have to do it completely bareback if you don't want to" defended Kiba while he rubbed his hardness on Naruto's backside and moved to suck on the skin under Naruto's ear. "As for Akamaru, let him. It's kinkier that way."

Naruto blushed red at the proposition but if asked he would say it was because of the cold temperate. Then all of the sudden Kiba started laughing as he separated himself from Naruto and stood up. "Haha, I can't believe you were considering it" laughed Kiba.

"Was not" lied Naruto as he also stood up.

"Was too!" replied Kiba enjoying his win. "That's payback for the prank you pulled on me this morning" said the brunet referring to how Naruto had woken him up by throwing ice cold water on him.

"Pft whatever, at least my face doesn't smell like dog breath all the time." retorted Naruto grinning as he remembered Kiba's foul language that morning. It was probably the first time Naruto had heard a cursed word come out of Kiba's mouth. Totally worth it, believe it.

The blond pointed his flashlight at the floor as he tried to figure out which way to go until he encountered a wall. It had a torch on it so Naruto pulled out a match from his traveling gear and light up the fire, the sound of something being triggered echoing throughout the cave. Then all of the sudden torches from all around the place started to light on their own until they could see the whole room clearly.

Barking was heard as Akamaru immediately made his way to hide behind Kiba afraid of the sudden change. Naruto looked around in amazement and saw nine giant statues. The first one was some kind of raccoon monster with one tail. The second one was a cat monster with two tails and so on until the last one which was a fox with nine tails. Naruto stirred away from that one for obvious reasons.

"Um Kiba?" said Naruto as he dropped the flashlight and searched his coat for a camera.

"Yeah Naruto?" asked Kiba as he tried to calm Akamaru down.

"I think I just made my first big discovery."

And so it was. This discovery went to be covered by every media on the planet. The statues were apparently very valuable relics of the past. So valuable that the elemental countries even placed sizable amount of cash for rights to have one or two statues featured at their national museums.

It even spun big blockbuster movies with exaggerated stories, sequels, books, videogames and merchandise of the many adventures of Naruto Uzumaki. It made him bigger than Indiana Jones! His partner in hand Kiba Inuzuka was also featured in many of these even though their relationship status was never divulged by the media. Akamaru even got his own comic series that rivaled the likes of Garfield.

But if you want to know more about them then you'll have to read their unauthorized biography _**'The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki'**_ , a tell-all best seller writing by yours truly,

XOXO,

Ino Yamanaka.

And frankly speaking, that was all the thanks she ever needed.

_FIN_

* * *

**A/N:**_ Done! Thank you everyone for sticking with until the very end! Special thanks to Haretikers and Kamikaze101 for helping me move the plot along every time I lost some steam. Also I credit Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999 film) for inspiring one of the scenes._

**A/N2:**_ If you thirst for more KibaNaru here in fanfiction then I recommend "Revealing A Kitsune" by Kanemoshi. Just like with me the only thing that's missing from her story is the epilogue. So if you haven't read it yet then what are you waiting for? Go read, it's good, shoo! LOL_

**A/N3:**_ I'll probably do a spinoff one-shot of this fic in that future with SuiSaku being the main focus. Kinda like I did with the InoSai one-shot from my other KibaNaru fanfic "Damaged Goods". If anyone is interested then consider this the head's up. 'Til later! Sodapops out!_


End file.
